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Edexcel · GCSE · Biology

Free Edexcel GCSE Biology
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real Edexcel GCSE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

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What the real Edexcel GCSE Biology paper looks like

Paper 1
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification.
Paper 2
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification.
Paper 3
Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions.
Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Grading: Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Biology syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

What is DNA?

  1. A type of protein
  2. Deoxyribonucleic acid — a double helix molecule that carries genetic information
  3. A carbohydrate
  4. A lipid
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Deoxyribonucleic acid — a double helix molecule that carries genetic information
DNA is made of two strands twisted into a double helix. The strands are linked by complementary base pairs: A-T and C-G.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the purpose of mitosis?

  1. To produce gametes
  2. To produce two identical cells for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction
  3. To halve the chromosome number
  4. To create variation
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — To produce two identical cells for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction
Mitosis produces genetically identical diploid cells. Used for growth (more cells), repair (replacing damaged cells), and asexual reproduction.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

What is natural selection?

  1. Humans choosing which organisms to breed
  2. Organisms with beneficial traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on those genes
  3. Random genetic changes
  4. Organisms choosing their mates
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Organisms with beneficial traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on those genes
Variation exists → environmental pressure → best adapted survive → reproduce → pass on advantageous alleles → frequency of allele increases in population.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3

What is a recessive allele?

  1. An allele always expressed
  2. An allele only expressed when homozygous (two copies present, e.g. bb)
  3. A harmful allele
  4. A common allele
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — An allele only expressed when homozygous (two copies present, e.g. bb)
Recessive alleles are masked by dominant alleles in heterozygotes. Example: if B = brown eyes (dominant) and b = blue eyes (recessive), Bb shows brown eyes.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3

What is a communicable disease?

  1. A genetic condition
  2. A disease caused by pathogens that can be transmitted between organisms
  3. A lifestyle disease
  4. A nutritional deficiency
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — A disease caused by pathogens that can be transmitted between organisms
Communicable diseases are caused by pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists) and can spread through contact, droplets, vectors, water, or food.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3

What is a phenotype?

  1. The genetic makeup
  2. The observable physical characteristics of an organism
  3. A type of allele
  4. The number of chromosomes
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The observable physical characteristics of an organism
Phenotype = what you can see/observe (e.g. blue eyes, tall). Genotype = the alleles an organism has (e.g. Bb). Phenotype results from genotype + environment.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

What are risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

  1. Only genetics
  2. Smoking, high-fat diet, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood pressure, genetics, diabetes
  3. Only lack of exercise
  4. Only old age
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Smoking, high-fat diet, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood pressure, genetics, diabetes
Multiple risk factors contribute: some are modifiable (diet, smoking, exercise) and some are non-modifiable (age, genetics, family history).
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the function of the nucleus?

  1. Energy production
  2. Contains DNA and controls cell activities and protein synthesis
  3. Photosynthesis
  4. Cell protection
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Contains DNA and controls cell activities and protein synthesis
The nucleus contains chromosomes made of DNA. It controls the cell by determining which proteins are made.
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Edexcel GCSE Biology FAQ

What does the Edexcel GCSE Biology exam look like?
The Edexcel GCSE Biology exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification. Paper 2: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification. Paper 3: Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions. Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Can I download a free Edexcel GCSE Biology past paper?
Real Edexcel past papers are published directly by Edexcel on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is Edexcel GCSE Biology graded?
Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.