AQA · GCSE · 8461
AQA GCSE Biology past papers
25 question papers, 25 mark schemes and 23 examiner reports from 7 exam series, June 2018 to June 2025. Every link opens the PDF on the AQA website.
June 2025
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 2 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
- Paper 2 Higher
June 2024
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 2 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
- Paper 2 Higher
June 2023
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 2 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
- Paper 2 Higher
June 2022
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 2 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
- Paper 2 Higher
November 2021
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 2 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
- Paper 2 Higher
November 2020
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 2 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
- Paper 2 Higher
June 2018
- Paper 1 Foundation
- Paper 1 Higher
About AQA GCSE Biology (8461)
AQA GCSE Biology (8461) is assessed by two written papers, each sat at Foundation or Higher tier. Paper 1 covers the first four topics of the specification and Paper 2 the last three, so a full mock needs both.
Mark schemes and examiner reports are where most of the teaching value is: the reports show which questions students across the country dropped marks on, and why.
Tiers: Foundation (grades 1–5) and Higher (grades 4–9)
| Paper | What it covers | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Cell biology; Organisation; Infection and response; Bioenergetics | 1 hour 45 minutes | 100 | 50% |
| Paper 2 | Homeostasis and response; Inheritance, variation and evolution; Ecology | 1 hour 45 minutes | 100 | 50% |
Full list of AQA materials for this specification: AQA assessment resources.
Other GCSE Biology specifications
- OCR GCSE Biology A Gateway (J247)
- OCR GCSE Biology B Twenty First Century (J257)
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0)
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