Examinations
For guidance on how students can improve their performance in the examinations, see the Chief Examiner’s reports below.
Useful Downloads
Examiner Reports 2011 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 25 November 2011
Examiner Reports 2010 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 22 November 2010
Examiner Reports 2009 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 25 November 2009
Examiner Reports 2008 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 14 October 2008
Examiner Reports 2007 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 01 November 2007
Examiner Reports 2006 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 02 July 2007
Examiner Reports 2005 May/June Series
(PDF), Last Updated: 21 August 2007
Students must complete two examinations in Biology GCSE. We set and mark these.
Foundation Tier Exams
| Tier | Exam | Format | Time | Assessment Weighting (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Paper 1 | About 20 short-answer questions of approximately equal marks. | 1 hour | 30% |
| Foundation | Paper 2 | Six compulsory structured questions of approximately equal marks. In this paper students must apply their knowledge, analyse and evaluate. | 1 hour | 45% |
Higher Tier Exams
| Tier | Exam | Format | Time | Assessment Weighting (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher | Paper 1 | About 20 short-answer questions of approximately equal marks. | 1 hour 30 minutes | 32% |
| Higher | Paper 2 | Eight compulsory structured questions of approximately equal marks. In this paper students must apply their knowledge, analyse and evaluate. | 2 hours | 43% |
For more information, see the full specification
To order past papers, download the Examinations Catalogue and Order Form. Alternatively contact our Distribution Operations Team on (028) 9026 1228 / 9026 1242.