If you’re studying Edexcel Salters-Nuffield (SNAB) A Level Biology, this guide will walk you through how the exams work and give you clear, practical revision advice to help you feel confident on exam day 💪

📑 How Many Papers Are There?

For SNAB A Level Biology, you sit three written exam papers at the end of the course:

👉Paper 1: The Natural Environment and Species Survival

👉Paper 2: Energy, Exercise and Co-ordination

👉Paper 3: General and Practical Applications in Biology

📑 Paper 1: Lifestyle, Transport, Genes and Health

• ⏰Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes 




• 🏆Marks: 80 marks (50% of total grade)




• 📌Content: Paper 1 focuses on human biology, especially how lifestyle choices, genetics and body systems affect health.

Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk

You’ll learn about:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and risk factors 

• Correlation vs causation (very important for data questions!)

• The role of cholesterol, blood pressure and smoking

• Structure of the heart and blood vessels

• How lifestyle choices impact long-term health

Expect exam questions involving data interpretation, graphs and evaluating evidence from studies 📊

Topic 2: Genes and Health

This topic is all about DNA, proteins and genetic disease:

• Structure and function of DNA

• Protein synthesis (transcription & translation)

• Enzymes and how they work

• Genetic mutations and their effects

• Inherited conditions such as cystic fibrosis

• Gene therapy and ethical considerations

You may be asked to describe processes, apply genetics to unfamiliar contexts, or explain how mutations affect proteins 🧫.

• ❓Question Types: 

Multiple-choice questions

• Test recall and quick application of facts

• Often based on data, diagrams or short scenarios

Short-answer questions

• Define key terms (e.g. mutation, enzyme, correlation)

• Describe biological processes step-by-step

• Explain relationships between lifestyle factors and disease

Data analysis and interpretation

• Graphs, tables and charts related to health studies

• Questions on correlation vs causation

• Drawing conclusions and evaluating evidence

Maths-based questions

• Calculations involving percentages, ratios and rates

• Enzyme activity calculations

• Showing working clearly is essential!

Practical-based questions

• Questions linked to core practicals (e.g. enzyme experiments)

• Identifying variables

• Suggesting improvements to methods

• Interpreting experimental results

Extended-response questions

• Longer explanations 

• May involve:

  • Explaining disease processes

  • Linking genes to protein structure and function

  • Discussing ethical issues (e.g. gene therapy)

📑 Paper 2: Development, Plants and the Environment

• ⏰Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes 




• 🏆Marks: 80 marks (50% of total grade)




• 📌Content: Paper 2 looks at biology on a bigger scale, including cells, plants, ecosystems and sustainability.

Topic 3: The Voice of the Genome

This topic explores how genes are expressed and controlled:

• Cell structure and specialised cells

• The cell cycle and mitosis

• How gene expression is regulated

• Differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

• Stem cells and their uses

• Cell differentiation and development

Questions often test your ability to link structure to function and explain biological processes step-by-step 🔄.

Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources

Here, biology meets the environment 🌱:

• Levels of biodiversity

• How biodiversity can be measured

• Conservation methods

• Classification of organisms

• Sustainability of natural resources

• Human impact on ecosystems

• Climate change and population growth

Expect questions involving sampling methods, calculations, evaluating conservation strategies and interpreting ecological data 📉

• ❓Question Types: 

Multiple-choice questions

• Test understanding of cell structure, mitosis and biodiversity

• Often require careful reading and elimination of distractors

Short-answer questions

• Describe stages of mitosis or gene regulation

• Explain adaptations of cells or organisms

• Compare biological processes or structures

Data handling and evaluation

• Tables of biodiversity data

• Sampling results and population studies

• Identifying patterns and trends

• Evaluating conservation strategies

Maths-based questions

• Calculations related to:

  • Population size

  • Sampling techniques

  • Percentages and ratios

• Accurate units and working are important

Practical-based questions

• Questions linked to:

  • Microscopy

  • Sampling methods (e.g. quadrats)

  • Investigating mitosis

• Assessing reliability, accuracy and improvements

Extended-response questions

• Longer answers linking ideas across topics

• Often involve:

  • Explaining biological processes clearly

  • Applying knowledge to unfamiliar environmental scenarios

  • Evaluating human impacts on ecosystems

📑 Paper 1: The Natural Environment and Species Survival

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours




• 🏆Marks: 100 marks (33.3% of total grade)




• 📌Content: This paper focuses on biology in natural and environmental contexts, as well as genetics and disease. 

• Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk (Cardiovascular disease, risk factors, epidemiology and analysing data related to health)




• Topic 2: Genes and Health (DNA structure, protein synthesis, mutations, genetic testing, inheritance and gene expression)




• Topic 3: Voice of the Genome (Cell structure, enzymes, membranes, transport across membranes, cell division and cell specialisation)




• Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources (Biodiversity, classification, conservation, sustainability and the use of biological resources)




• Topic 5: On the Wild Side (Photosynthesis, ecosystems, adaptation, species interactions and energy flow in ecosystem)




• Topic 6: Infection, Immunity and Forensics (Pathogens, immune responses, vaccination, antibiotics and forensic science)

📝 You’ll often be asked to interpret unfamiliar data, apply knowledge to real-world situations and write clear extended responses.

• ❓Question Types: 

Multiple-choice questions

• Usually early in the paper

• Test core knowledge, calculations and data interpretation

Short-answer questions

• Definitions, explanations and basic recall

• Often linked to unfamiliar contexts

Calculations

• Percentages, rates, ratios and biological maths

• Marks are given for showing working

Data analysis questions

• Interpreting graphs, tables, charts and experimental results

Extended response questions

• Longer written answers

• Require structured explanations using scientific vocabulary

📝 These questions often assess how well you can apply knowledge rather than just recall facts.

📑 Paper 2:  Energy, Exercise and Co-ordination

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours




• 🏆Marks: 100 marks (33.3% of total grade)




• 📌Content: This paper is more focused on physiology, energy transfer and control systems.

• Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk (Health data, disease prevention and analysis of lifestyle factors)




• Topic 2: Genes and Health (Inheritance, genetic variation and gene technologies)




• Topic 3: Voice of the Genome (Cell structure, transport, enzymes and cell cycle)




• Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources (Resource management, conservation strategies and sustainability)




• Topic 7: Run for Your Life (Respiration, ATP, gas exchange, circulation, heart structure and exercise physiology)




• Topic 8: Grey Matter (Nervous system, hormonal control, coordination, homeostasis and brain structure)

🧠 Expect questions that require step-by-step explanations, calculations and applying biology to unfamiliar contexts.

• ❓Question Types: 

Multiple-choice questions

• Test understanding of processes and calculations

Context-based questions

• Biology applied to scenarios such as exercise, disease or physiological changes

Short-answer questions

• Clear explanations of processes (e.g. respiration, nervous transmission)

Calculation questions

• Energy transfer, respiration rates, percentages and standard deviation

Longer explanation questions

• Step-by-step descriptions of biological mechanisms

• Marked for clarity and logical sequencing

💡 Paper 2 often rewards clear explanations of “how” and “why” processes happen.

📑 Paper 3: General and Practical Applications in Biology

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours




• 🏆Marks: 100 marks (33.3% of total grade)




• 📌Content: Paper 3 brings everything together and strongly focuses on practical skills and application.

• All topics from Papers 1 and 2




• Core practical techniques, such as:

  • Microscopy

  • Enzyme investigations

  • Fieldwork and sampling

  • Measuring respiration and photosynthesis




• Experimental design and evaluation (Variables, controls, reliability, accuracy, validity and improvements)




• Data handling (Graphs, tables, statistical tests and calculations)




• Pre-release scientific article
  You’ll answer questions applying your knowledge to new information provided before the exam.

📊 This paper tests how well you can think like a biologist, not just recall facts.

• ❓Question Types: 

Questions based on a pre-release scientific article

• Apply biological knowledge to unfamiliar research

• Interpret text, graphs and data from the article

Practical-based questions

• Experimental design

• Identifying variables and controls

• Evaluating methods and suggesting improvements

Data handling and analysis

• Graphs, tables, statistical tests and calculations

Synoptic questions

• Link multiple topics together in one question

• Require thinking across the whole course

Short and extended written responses

• Explain results, justify conclusions and evaluate evidence

🔬 This paper tests how well you can think and work like a biologist, not just remember content.