Biology Paper 2
AQA Combined Science Higher. Counted from 4 real June exams: 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2024, 280 marks in all.
Every topic on the specification can be examined, including ones listed here as not examined.
| Topic | How often | Share of marks |
|---|---|---|
| Levels of organisation | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 11% of marks |
| The human nervous system | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 9% of marks |
| Homeostasis | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 6% of marks |
| Control of blood glucose concentration | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 6% of marks |
| Selective breeding | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 4% of marks |
| Hormones in human reproduction | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 4% of marks |
| Genetic inheritance | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 4% of marks |
| The use of hormones to treat infertility | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 4% of marks |
| Genetic engineering | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 4% of marks |
| Waste management | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Classification of living organisms | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Adaptations | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Communities | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Feedback systems | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Photosynthetic reaction | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Resistant bacteria | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Aerobic and anaerobic respiration | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Inherited disorders | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Meiosis | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Global warming | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| DNA and the genome | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Biotic factors | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Evidence for evolution | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Evolution | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Human endocrine system | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Abiotic factors | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Antibiotics and painkillers | Not examined since 20181 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Sexual and asexual reproduction | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Maintaining biodiversity | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Uses of glucose from photosynthesis | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| How materials are cycled | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Contraception | Not examined since 20181 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Sex determination | Not examined since 20181 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Deforestation | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Fossils | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Extinction | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Biodiversity | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Variation | Not examined in the last 4 years | |
| Land use | Not examined in the last 4 years |
Required practicals
2018 and 2019 mark schemes rarely name the practical, so those years are undercounted here.
| Topic | How often | Share of marks |
|---|---|---|
| measure the population size of a common species in a habitat | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| plan and carry out an investigation into the effect of a factor on human reaction time | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |