Edexcel A-Level Biology B Active Recall Guide (9BI0)
Edexcel · A-Level
Edexcel A-Level Biology B Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification 9BI0 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 2,073 questions across 10 topics and 138 subtopics, covering all three papers with no optional content left out.
- Edexcel
- A-Level
- Specification 9BI0
- 2,073 questions
Guide overview All 10 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
Edexcel A-Level Biology B is the concept-led route, ten topics with no optional content. Paper 1 and Paper 2 are 1 hour 45 minutes and 90 marks each, 30 per cent apiece. Paper 3 is 2 hours 30 minutes, 120 marks and 40 per cent, and draws on all ten topics synoptically.
Paper 1 examines Topics 1 to 7 and Paper 2 examines Topics 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, so the first four topics are examined on every paper and carry more weight than anything else on the course.
| Paper | Covers | Length | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper 1 Advanced Biochemistry, Microbiology and Genetics |
Draws on topics 1 to 7 Questions are broken into parts and include extended response Assesses knowledge, application and the handling of experimental data |
1 hour 45 minutes | 90 marks | 30% |
|
Paper 2 Advanced Physiology, Evolution and Ecology |
Draws on topics 1 to 4 and topics 8 to 10 Questions are broken into parts and include extended response Assesses knowledge, application and the handling of experimental data |
1 hour 45 minutes | 90 marks | 30% |
|
Paper 3 General and Practical Principles in Biology |
Draws on all ten topics and includes synoptic questions spanning two or more Carries the heaviest weighting of the three papers Carries the largest share of the analysis and evaluation marks, and targets understanding of experimental methods |
2 hours 30 minutes | 120 marks | 40% |
|
9BI0/04 Science Practical Endorsement |
Teacher assessed against the common practical assessment criteria across at least 12 practical activities, and monitored by Pearson Reported separately as a pass, and does not contribute to the A-level grade |
Completed during the course | Reported separately | — |
What is in the guide
All 10 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides
How does the position of the hydroxyl group on carbon-1 in beta glucose differ from alpha glucose?
Show the answer
In beta glucose, the hydroxyl group on carbon-1 is positioned above the plane of the ring. -
Cell theory and eukaryotic cell structure
What is the size of eukaryotic ribosomes and what is their function?
Show the answer
Eukaryotic ribosomes are 80S in size, larger than prokaryotic ribosomes, and are the site of protein synthesis. -
The hierarchy of classification
What is the fourth level in the classification hierarchy, positioned between phylum and order?
Show the answer
Class. -
Surface area to volume ratio
State the formula for calculating surface area to volume ratio.
Show the answer
SA:V ratio = surface area ÷ volume. -
An overview of aerobic respiration
Name the first stage of aerobic respiration.
Show the answer
Glycolysis. -
Culturing microorganisms and aseptic technique
At what temperature are microorganisms incubated in school laboratories, and why?
Show the answer
25°C, to reduce the risk of growing human pathogens, which grow best at temperatures closer to 37°C. -
Using gene sequencing
Why is the temperature raised to 72°C during the extension phase of PCR?
Show the answer
This is the optimum temperature for DNA polymerase (typically Taq polymerase) to synthesise new DNA strands. -
Mutation, meiosis and random fertilisation
State the formula for the number of possible gamete combinations produced by independent assortment, and define the variable.
Show the answer
The formula is 2ⁿ, where n is the haploid chromosome number.
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Biological Molecules256
- Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things243
- Classification and Biodiversity134
- Exchange and Transport383
- Energy for Biological Processes181
- Microbiology and Pathogens191
- Modern Genetics100
- Origins of Genetic Variation103
- Control Systems265
- Ecosystems217
- What does cell theory state about the role of cells in living organisms?
- What is the basic structural and functional unit that makes up all living organisms?
- What structure is formed when similar cells group together to perform a common function?
- What is formed when different tissues combine to work together?
- What level of organisation is formed when multiple organs work together to carry out a major body function?
- What is the nucleus and what is its function in eukaryotic cells?
- What is the size of eukaryotic ribosomes and what is their function?
- Describe the structure of mitochondria and state their main function.
- Describe the structure of chloroplasts and state their function.
- That every living organism is built from cells, that the cell is the smallest unit capable of carrying out life processes, and that all cells arise from existing cells.
- Cells are the basic structural and functional unit that makes up all living organisms.
- Tissues are formed when similar cells group together to perform a common function.
- Organs are formed when different tissues combine to work together.
- Organ systems are formed when multiple organs work together to carry out a major body function.
- The nucleus is a membrane-bound organelle containing the cell's genetic material (DNA) organised into chromosomes, and it controls cell activities.
- Eukaryotic ribosomes are 80S in size, larger than prokaryotic ribosomes, and are the site of protein synthesis.
- Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles that are the site of aerobic respiration, producing ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
- Chloroplasts are double-membrane organelles containing thylakoids and stroma, and are the site of photosynthesis in plant cells.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
Am I on Biology B or Biology A?
Edexcel runs two A-Level Biology specifications. This guide is Biology B, 9BI0, the concept-led route with ten topics. The other is Biology A, Salters-Nuffield, 9BN0, which teaches the same biology through contexts and is organised completely differently.
The code is on your exam timetable. If yours says 9BN0 you need the Biology A guide instead.
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 draws on Topics 1 to 7. Paper 2 draws on Topics 1 to 4 and 8 to 10. Paper 3 draws on all ten. The full breakdown is here.
Why is Paper 3 worth 40 per cent?
Because it sets no new content and instead asks you to bring topics together, analyse unfamiliar data and answer on experimental method. That is a recall problem before it is a technique problem, which is why the whole course in one file helps.
Is the Practical Endorsement in it?
No. It is teacher assessed across at least twelve practical activities and reported separately as a pass. The practical content examined on the written papers is in the guide, inside the topics it belongs to.
Edexcel A-Level Biology B Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.