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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 classification?

  1. Organising living organisms into groups based on shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships
  2. A type of evolution
  3. A chemical process
  4. Sorting by colour
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Organising living organisms into groups based on shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships
Classification: Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species. (King Philip Came Over For Good Soup.) Based on structure, DNA, and evolutionary history.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the equation for aerobic respiration?

  1. Glucose → ethanol + CO₂
  2. CO₂ + H₂O → glucose + O₂
  3. Glucose + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O + energy
  4. Glucose → lactic acid
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Glucose + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O + energy
Aerobic respiration breaks down glucose using oxygen to release energy (ATP). Occurs in mitochondria. Products: CO₂ and H₂O.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

Which enzyme joins pieces of DNA together during genetic engineering?

  1. Catalase
  2. Ligase
  3. A restriction enzyme
  4. Lipase
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Ligase
Ligase seals the sugar-phosphate backbone, joining the inserted gene to the vector DNA.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3

An organism carrying two identical alleles for a gene is described as:

  1. Homozygous
  2. Recessive
  3. Dominant
  4. Heterozygous
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Homozygous
Homozygous means the two alleles are the same, whether both dominant or both recessive. Heterozygous means they differ.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3

What do enzymes do?

  1. Store energy
  2. Transport oxygen
  3. Slow down reactions
  4. Act as biological catalysts, speeding up reactions without being used up
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Act as biological catalysts, speeding up reactions without being used up
Enzymes are proteins with specific 3D shapes. The substrate fits into the active site (lock and key model). They work best at an optimum temperature and pH.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3

Which type of neurone carries impulses from a receptor towards the central nervous system?

  1. Sensory neurone
  2. Motor neurone
  3. Relay neurone
  4. Effector neurone
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Sensory neurone
Sensory neurones carry information inwards. Motor neurones carry impulses outwards to muscles and glands.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

Extinction occurs when:

  1. A species becomes uncommon
  2. A species changes over time
  3. No individuals of a species remain alive anywhere
  4. A species moves to a new habitat
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — No individuals of a species remain alive anywhere
Extinction is permanent and total. A species that is merely rare is endangered, not extinct.
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

Why is the nervous system important?

  1. Only for thinking
  2. It allows rapid communication and coordination of responses to stimuli throughout the body
  3. Only for movement
  4. Only for breathing
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — It allows rapid communication and coordination of responses to stimuli throughout the body
The nervous system detects stimuli via receptors, transmits electrical impulses via neurones, and triggers responses via effectors (muscles/glands). It enables rapid reactions.
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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.