Where is the genetic material found in a prokaryotic cell such as a bacterium?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.1.1.1
AQA GCSE Biology (8461) · GCSE Biology
Free AQA GCSE Biology practice questions (Higher tier, all seven topics)
These fourteen questions are spread across all seven AQA GCSE Biology topics, two from each, so one sitting tells you which topic is weakest rather than just how you did. Every question is Higher tier, original, written to specification 8461, and comes with an explanation that says why the other options are wrong. Exam structure and topic split are on the AQA GCSE Biology exam page; the full bank of 534 questions is in the revision app.
Practice
Free practice questions
Which list places the levels of organisation in the correct order, from smallest to largest?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.2.1
What is a pathogen?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.3.1.1
Which word equation summarises photosynthesis?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.4.1.1
What is meant by homeostasis?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.5.1
Which statement describes sexual reproduction?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.6.1.1
Which description best fits a population?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.7.1.1
Which of these organisms is made of prokaryotic cells?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.1.1.1
What is a tissue?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.2.1
Which list gives the four main types of pathogen?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.3.1.1
Photosynthesis is an endothermic reaction. What does that mean?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.4.1.1
Which three parts make up a typical control system?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.5.1
What are the gametes in flowering plants?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.6.1.1
What is a community?
Based on: AQA 8461 · 4.7.1.1
The mistake that costs the most marks in each topic
Marks in GCSE Biology are lost far more often to a handful of repeated confusions than to material nobody covered. These seven are the ones our teaching partner sees most, one per topic. If any of them reads as news, start your revision there rather than at topic 1.
- Cell biology: saying bacteria have a nucleus. Prokaryotes have no nucleus, only a free DNA loop and sometimes plasmids.
- Organisation: saying an enzyme is killed rather than denatured. It is not alive and it is not used up; the active site changes shape so the substrate no longer fits.
- Infection and response: saying antibiotics kill viruses. They only kill bacteria, so they do nothing for a cold.
- Bioenergetics: reversing the equations. Carbon dioxide plus water gives glucose plus oxygen is photosynthesis; glucose plus oxygen gives carbon dioxide plus water is respiration.
- Homeostasis and response: describing feedback as making the change bigger. Homeostasis uses negative feedback, which always opposes and reverses the change.
- Inheritance, variation and evolution: mixing up genotype and phenotype. Genotype is the alleles, such as Bb; phenotype is the feature shown, such as brown eyes.
- Ecology: calling predators or disease abiotic. Anything living is a biotic factor.
Why the wrong options matter more than the right one
In a well written multiple choice question the three wrong options are not filler. Each one is a specific mistake a real student makes, so the question is really four questions: one about the correct biology and three about a misconception. That is why the explanations here name what each distractor gets wrong instead of just restating the answer. Work through them that way and fourteen questions cover far more ground than fourteen facts.
Recall questions and application questions are not the same job
The bank tags every question as either recall or application, and the two need different revision. Recall questions ask what something is: the definition of osmosis, the products of digestion, the site of aerobic respiration. Application questions hand you an unfamiliar context, often with data, and ask you to use biology you already know. Students who revise only by rereading notes usually score well on recall and stall on application, and the fix is not more notes, it is more unfamiliar contexts.
Not affiliated with AQA
RiverMap Learning is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by AQA or any exam board. Every question here is original and written to the public AQA subject content for specification 8461; no exam paper, mark scheme or textbook text is reproduced. The specification points cited are locators, so you can check coverage against the definitive specification published by AQA.
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 1 Cell biology, 2 Organisation, 3 Infection and response, 4 Bioenergetics | 5 Homeostasis and response, 6 Inheritance variation and evolution, 7 Ecology |
| Length | 1 hour 45 minutes | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Marks | 100 | 100 |
| Question types | Multiple choice, short answer, calculation, extended response | Multiple choice, short answer, calculation, extended response |
| Grades available | 4 to 9 at Higher tier | 4 to 9 at Higher tier |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on this free AQA GCSE Biology page?
Fourteen, two from each of the seven AQA GCSE Biology topics: cell biology, organisation, infection and response, bioenergetics, homeostasis and response, inheritance variation and evolution, and ecology. They are all Higher tier and all come with a full explanation. The complete bank of 534 questions, plus 359 flashcards and the topic notes, is in the RiverMap Learning AQA GCSE Biology revision app.
Are these real AQA exam questions?
No, and deliberately so. Every question is original, written by RiverMap Learning to the publicly available AQA GCSE Biology subject content for specification 8461. AQA exam papers and mark schemes are copyright material and none of that text is reproduced here. Each question cites the specification point it was written to test, which is how you can check the coverage.
Is this page Higher tier or Foundation tier?
Higher tier. AQA GCSE Biology 8461 is tiered, with Higher targeting grades 4 to 9 and Foundation targeting grades 1 to 5, and around 85 percent of separate science students are entered for Higher. Every question on this page is written at Higher tier level, so Foundation students will meet material that is beyond what their papers can ask.
How long is each AQA GCSE Biology paper?
Each paper is 1 hour 45 minutes and worth 100 marks, giving 200 marks in total for the GCSE. Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 4 and Paper 2 covers topics 5 to 7. There is no coursework in AQA GCSE Biology 8461, so the two written papers carry the whole grade.
What is the difference between GCSE Biology and Combined Science?
GCSE Biology 8461 is the separate science route and awards a full GCSE grade in Biology on its own. Combined Science covers biology, chemistry and physics together with less content in each and awards two grades across the three subjects. This page is written for the separate Biology specification, so it includes content that Combined Science students do not sit.
Does RiverMap Learning work with AQA?
No. RiverMap Learning is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by AQA. The app and these pages are built to the public specification, in collaboration with Reagent Academy, a UK GCSE tuition provider whose teachers review the questions. AQA publishes the specification itself and remains the definitive source.