Question 1Section 1 style
A substitution changes one codon of a gene from GAA, a codon for glutamate, into GUA, a codon for valine. Nothing else changes. Which type of mutation is this?
The Higher Biology question paper
From session 2026-27 Higher Biology has one question paper: Section 1 has 20 marks of multiple choice and Section 2 has 80 marks of restricted-response and extended-response questions.
| Question paper | 2 hours 30 minutes, 100 marks |
|---|---|
| Section 1 | 20 marks of multiple choice |
| Section 2 | 80 marks of written answers |
| Exam day 2027 | Wednesday 12 May, 09:00 to 11:30 |
Section 1
Multiple-choice questions across the whole course, 20 marks. Work each one out before you look at the options: the wrong options are the answers common slips give.
Section 2
Statements, descriptions and explanations, questions on data and on experiments, and two extended responses, 80 marks. The paper includes one data-handling question and one experimental design question, and both extended-response questions offer a choice of topic.
Knowledge and skills
About 70 of the 100 marks are for knowledge and understanding, and about 30 for skills: planning experiments, selecting and presenting information, processing data, predicting, concluding and evaluating.
Try 2 questions
Question 2Section 1 style
| Time (hours) | log10 of viable cells per cm³ |
|---|---|
| 0 | 4.0 |
| 4 | 4.1 |
| 8 | 6.5 |
| 12 | 8.2 |
| 16 | 8.2 |
| 20 | 7.1 |
A viable cell count of a culture was plotted on a semi-logarithmic scale. The logarithm (base 10) of the number of viable cells per at 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 hours was 4.0, 4.1, 6.5, 8.2, 8.2 and 7.1. Between which times was the culture in its death phase, and what would a total cell count show over those times?
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Questions people ask
What changed for 2026-27?
The two question papers were replaced by one paper of two sections: 20 marks of multiple choice and 80 marks of written questions, 100 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes. The assignment is now scaled to 25 marks.
Can I use a calculator?
Yes, a calculator may be used.