How to Get an A* in A Level Biology?

By Russell Greenhill

Founder & CEO @ Greenhill Academics

Oxford Master’s Graduate • 8+ Years Tutoring Experience

The students who get an A* in A Level Biology are not always the ones who know the most. They are the ones who write their answers in the way the mark scheme rewards. A Level Biology exams are precise documents. They award marks for specific words, specific phrases, and specific chains of reasoning. A student who understands the biology but writes loosely will consistently score in the A range and wonder why the A* keeps slipping away.

This post covers the habits and techniques that separate A* answers from A answers, for both students revising independently and parents supporting them through Year 13.

What A Level Biology A* answers look like

The A* threshold in A Level Biology is set at the overall UMS boundary, but it is won question by question through consistent precision. The examiners are looking for correct biological terminology used accurately, logical chains of reasoning that connect cause to effect, and answers that address the specific question asked rather than demonstrating general knowledge of a topic.

A student who writes “the enzyme works better at higher temperatures” will score fewer marks than one who writes “increased temperature increases the kinetic energy of enzyme and substrate molecules, increasing the frequency of successful collisions and the rate of enzyme-substrate complex formation.” Both students know the biology. Only one is writing it in a way the examiner can reward.

Use precise biological terminology

A Level Biology mark schemes are built around specific terms. “Phospholipid bilayer” earns marks where “cell membrane” does not. “Complementary base pairing” earns marks where “matching bases” does not. “Hydrolysis” earns marks where “broken down” does not. This is not pedantry. It is the difference between demonstrating biological understanding and demonstrating a vague familiarity with a topic.

Keep a running glossary of key terms for each topic as you work through the course. Test yourself on definitions regularly. In the exam, use the technical term every time one exists.

Write in chains, not statements

The longer questions in A Level Biology, typically worth 4 to 6 marks, reward chains of reasoning rather than lists of facts. Each point should lead to the next: cause, mechanism, effect. If the question asks you to explain how a nerve impulse is transmitted, the A* answer does not list steps. It connects them. Depolarisation occurs because sodium ions move in along their electrochemical gradient. This reverses the membrane potential. The action potential propagates because the local current depolarises the adjacent membrane. Each sentence earns a mark because each sentence moves the argument forward.

How to revise A Level Biology for an A*

A Level Biology covers a large volume of content across two years. Students who try to revise everything equally tend to run out of time before the harder topics get the attention they need. A* revision is deliberate. It prioritises the topics that carry the most marks and the question types that most students answer poorly.

Read examiner reports, not just mark schemes

Every exam board publishes examiner reports after each sitting. These documents explain in the examiner’s own words what distinguished the top answers from the average ones. They identify the misconceptions that cost students marks and the phrases that consistently appeared in A* responses. A student who reads three or four examiner reports for their specific topics will understand what the examiner actually wants in a way that no revision guide can replicate.

Practise the 6-mark questions separately

The extended response questions in A Level Biology are where the A* is won or lost. Most students practise them least because they are the most time-consuming. Set aside one session per week to write full answers to 6-mark questions, then mark them against the mark scheme and examiner report. Focus on whether your answer contains the correct number of distinct marking points and whether each point uses precise terminology. Over several weeks, this builds the habit of structured, precise writing that these questions reward.

Master the required practicals

Required practicals appear in every A Level Biology paper. Questions about experimental design, variables, controls, and analysis of results are predictable. Students who have worked through each required practical and can explain the method, the reasoning behind it, and how results would be analysed are well placed on these questions. They are some of the most reliably scoreable marks on the paper.

A Level Biology exam technique for the top grades

Answer the question that is asked

One of the most consistent pieces of feedback in A Level Biology examiner reports is that students write everything they know about a topic rather than answering the specific question. If the question asks you to explain why the rate of photosynthesis decreases at high temperatures, the answer is about enzyme denaturation and the loss of the active site shape. It is not a full account of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions. Reading the question twice before writing, and checking your answer addresses it directly before moving on, removes a significant source of avoidable mark loss.

Use the mark allocation as a guide

The number of marks on a question tells you how many distinct points the examiner expects. A 3-mark explain question requires three separate, creditworthy statements. A student who writes one detailed sentence has answered one of those three marks. Count your points before moving on. If the question is worth 4 marks and you have written two points, there are two marks still available.

Tackle data response questions methodically

A Level Biology papers include questions based on unfamiliar data, graphs, and experimental results. These questions test the ability to apply biological knowledge to new contexts. The biology being tested is always from the specification. Read the data carefully, identify what biological principle is being illustrated, and apply your knowledge to it. Students who panic at unfamiliar data and leave these questions blank are giving up marks that are within reach.

Meet some of our A Level Biology tutors

Kriszta

Kriszta graduated from Oxford with a First in Biological Sciences, finishing in the top 10 of her cohort of 120, and won the Moore Prize for the best dissertation. She is currently completing a PhD in Cancer Biology at Cambridge. With research experience at EMBL, Oxford, and Shanghai JiaoTong University, Kriszta brings genuine scientific depth to her A Level Biology tutoring, helping students understand the biology behind the mark schemes rather than just memorising answers.

Clemmie

Clemmie read Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Trinity College Cambridge, graduating with a First. She achieved A* in Biology, Chemistry, and Maths at A Level and has tutoring experience across GCSE and A Level Biology and Chemistry. Her Part II dissertation was supervised by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, and she has published research as a second author. Clemmie is particularly strong at helping students understand how to structure longer answers and use terminology with precision.

Charlotte

Charlotte is an experienced A Level Biology tutor with a strong track record supporting students across GCSE and A Level sciences. Note: full bio coming soon — please update with Charlotte’s profile details before publishing.

Ready to push for an A*?

If your child is consistently scoring in the A range but the A* is not quite there, the issue is almost always in how they write their answers. The right tutor can read their work, identify the exact habits costing marks, and build the precision that the top band requires. Get in touch and we will match them with a specialist A Level Biology tutor.

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