The 12 practicals AQA names by number, the Common Practical Assessment Criteria, AO1/AO2/AO3 weightings by paper, the endorsement's own deadline and the current overseas-centre withdrawal dates for 7402.
Book a Free ConsultationAQA A-Level Biology is examined under specification 7402, currently Version 1.6 of July 2026, a single document AQA revises in place rather than publishing as a parallel edition. The qualification is built from eight compulsory topics with no optional or chosen content anywhere in it -- every AQA Biology student studies the same eight topics, whichever school or tutor they work with.
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Our expert AQA A-level Biology tutors work practical by practical and paper by paper, building each programme around the required practicals, the CPAC competencies and the AO weightings actually set for 7402.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppNone of them is optional. AQA's specification sets out eight subject-content sections, numbered 3.1 to 3.8, and every one is compulsory for every student entered for 7402:
AQA designs sections 1 to 4 to be covered in the first year of the A-level and to double as the AS subject content, so a school can teach AS and A-level together before the cohort splits into the A-level-only content of the second year. Sections 5 to 8 are A-level only. Nowhere in this list, or anywhere else in the specification, does AQA offer a choice of topic or an optional strand -- a structural fact that marks Biology out clearly from AQA's own A-level History specification, which is built almost entirely from options that centres and students select between.
AQA names all 12 required practical activities in full, each tied to specific apparatus and technique (AT) codes that describe the skill being assessed rather than the exact method. A student must be given the opportunity to carry out all 12 over the two-year course, and each is examinable in the written papers even though the practical work itself is assessed separately.
| # | Required practical | AT codes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction | a, b, c, f, l |
| 2 | Preparation of stained squashes of cells from plant root tips; use of an optical microscope to identify the stages of mitosis and calculate a mitotic index | d, e, f |
| 3 | Production of a dilution series of a solute to produce a calibration curve identifying the water potential of plant tissue | c, h, j, l |
| 4 | Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the permeability of cell-surface membranes | a, b, c, j, l |
| 5 | Dissection of an animal or plant gas exchange or mass transport system, or an organ within such a system | e, h, j |
| 6 | Use of aseptic techniques to investigate the effect of antimicrobial substances on microbial growth | c, i |
| 7 | Use of chromatography to investigate pigments isolated from leaves of different plants | b, c, g |
| 8 | Investigation into the effect of a named factor on the rate of dehydrogenase activity in chloroplast extracts | a, b, c |
| 9 | Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the rate of respiration of cultures of single-celled organisms | a, b, c, i |
| 10 | Investigation into the effect of an environmental variable on the movement of an animal, using a choice chamber or maze | h |
| 11 | Production of a dilution series of a glucose solution and colorimetric techniques to produce a calibration curve identifying glucose concentration in an unknown 'urine' sample | b, c, f |
| 12 | Investigation into the effect of a named environmental factor on the distribution of a given species | a, b, h, k, l |
Source: AQA specification 7402, practical assessment section, retrieved 9 September 2026.
The AT codes are shared across all 12 practicals rather than being unique to one each -- practical 1, for instance, draws on five separate codes (a, b, c, f, l), while practical 10 draws on only one (h). What each code actually covers is set out separately in the specification:
| Code | What it covers |
|---|---|
| AT a | quantitative measurements (mass, time, volume, temperature, length and pH) |
| AT b | instrumentation, e.g. a colorimeter or potometer |
| AT c | laboratory glassware apparatus, including serial dilutions |
| AT d | a light microscope at high and low power, including use of a graticule |
| AT e | scientific drawing from observation |
| AT f | qualitative reagents to identify biological molecules |
| AT g | separation techniques such as chromatography or electrophoresis |
| AT h | the safe and ethical use of organisms to measure responses and physiological functions |
| AT i | microbiological aseptic technique, including the use of agar plates and broth |
| AT j | dissection of an animal or plant organ |
| AT k | sampling techniques in fieldwork |
| AT l | ICT, such as computer modelling, a data logger, or software to process data |
Source: AQA specification 7402, practical assessment section, retrieved 9 September 2026.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppPractical competence is assessed separately from the written papers, against the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) that all English boards share. AQA's specification names five competencies a teacher must see demonstrated, routinely, across the two-year course before signing a student off:
A student who meets all five, consistently, receives a Pass on the practical endorsement; one who does not receives Not-classified. What does not appear on a general guide to the endorsement is its administrative shape. AQA's key-dates calendar lists the practical endorsement as its own component, 7402/C, with a non-exam-assessment submission deadline of 15 May for the June series -- weeks ahead of the first written paper. In the same series, Paper 1 falls on 7 June, Paper 2 on 14 June and Paper 3 on 18 June. Schools may set their own earlier internal deadlines for practical sign-off, so 15 May is AQA's outer limit, not necessarily a family's actual date, and is worth confirming with the school directly.
AQA publishes an Assessment Objective (AO1, AO2, AO3) weighting range for every paper, and it shifts sharply between them. AO1 tests knowledge and understanding, AO2 tests application of that knowledge, and AO3 tests analysis, interpretation and evaluation.
| Paper | AO1 (knowledge) | AO2 (application) | AO3 (analysis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 44-48% | 30-34% | 20-24% |
| Paper 2 | 23-27% | 52-56% | 19-23% |
| Paper 3 | 28-32% | 35-39% | 31-35% |
| Overall | 30-35% | 40-45% | 25-30% |
Source: AQA specification 7402, scheme of assessment, retrieved 9 September 2026.
Paper 2 leans hardest on AO2 of the three, at 52-56% -- more than half the paper rewards applying knowledge to unfamiliar contexts rather than stating it. Paper 3 carries by far the widest AO3 share, 31-35%, which lines up with its role as the synoptic paper carrying the extended-response essay. A student who revises by memorising content is preparing well for AO1 and badly for the majority of every paper.
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AQA Biology is a linear qualification: AQA's specification states that all assessments are taken at the end of the course and that all exams must be completed in the same series -- there is no partial cash-in of one paper in an earlier series and the rest later. Within that constraint, AQA sets no cap on how many times a student may resit the whole qualification. Its specification states plainly that students can re-sit the qualification as many times as they wish, within the shelf life of the qualification. Each full resit means sitting all three papers again in one series, not just the paper where marks were weakest.
UK overseas centres, on two different timelines from AS -- and UK domestic centres are not affected by either change. AQA's own notice on availability for UK overseas centres sets out the withdrawal in two stages. For AS Biology (7401), the last cohort for first teaching is September 2026, the last first sitting is summer 2027, and a final resit runs in September 2028, after which the AS is no longer available for UK overseas centres. For the full A-level (7402), first teaching also ends after September 2026, but the last first sitting is a year later, summer 2028, with a final resit in September 2029.
The distinction matters for planning. A UK overseas school starting a cohort on 7402 in September 2026 has a known final exit point three years later, in the September 2029 resit window, and no first-teaching option after that. A UK domestic school has no equivalent deadline on this specification at all.
The plan starts from the specification code and a real script, not a generic topic checklist. A student who is strong on AO1 recall but losing marks on the AO2-heavy Paper 2, or who has not yet had the CPAC competencies signed off with the 15 May deadline approaching, needs a different term plan from one who is behind on content across all eight topics. Our tutors work to the 12 required practicals, the AT codes behind them, and the AO weighting split above, rather than to “Biology” as a generic subject.
91% of Leading Tuition students reach their target grades, and we are rated 4.8 out of 5 from 58 reviews on Trustpilot, read on 7 September 2026. If your child is on a different exam board, or you want the wider cross-board picture -- paper structure, marks, weightings and June 2026 grade boundaries across AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas -- our A-level Biology guide covers that comparison in full. For the broader subject service across GCSE and A-level, see our Biology tutor service, and for every subject and level we cover, our A-level tutoring hub is the wider starting point. AQA's own practical assessment section of the 7402 specification is the primary source for the practicals, AT codes and CPAC detail above, and is worth reading in full alongside a tutor's guidance.
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Our expert AQA A-level Biology tutors build every programme around the required practicals, the CPAC sign-off deadline and the AO weightings for this specification -- not a generic Biology syllabus.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppNo. AQA's Biology specification (7402) is entirely compulsory across all eight topics: Biological molecules, Cells, Organisms exchange substances with their environment, Genetic information and variation, Energy transfers, Organisms respond to changes in their environment, Genetics, populations and ecosystems, and The control of gene expression. AQA's specification sets out each topic in turn with no alternative or optional strand offered anywhere in the qualification. This marks Biology out from AQA's own A-level History specification, which is built almost entirely from options that centres and students choose between.
AQA names all 12 in its specification: (1) enzyme-controlled reaction rates, (2) root-tip cell squashes and a mitotic index, (3) water potential by a dilution series, (4) membrane permeability, (5) dissection of a gas-exchange or mass-transport system, (6) aseptic technique with antimicrobial substances, (7) chromatography of leaf pigments, (8) dehydrogenase activity in chloroplast extracts, (9) respiration rate in single-celled organisms, (10) animal movement in a choice chamber or maze, (11) glucose concentration by colorimetry, and (12) species distribution against an environmental factor. Each is tied to specific apparatus and technique codes that AQA sets out separately.
CPAC is the five-competency framework every AQA science teacher assesses a student's lab work against, across the whole two-year course rather than in a single exam. The five competencies are: follows written procedures; applies investigative approaches and methods when using instruments and equipment; safely uses a range of practical equipment and materials; makes and records observations; and researches, references and reports. A student who is consistently competent across all five, over the required practicals and other lab work, receives a Pass on the practical endorsement; a student who is not receives Not-classified.
Yes. On AQA's key-dates calendar the practical endorsement is listed as its own component, 7402/C, with a non-exam-assessment submission deadline of 15 May for the June series. That is well ahead of the three written papers, which in the same series fall on 7 June (Paper 1), 14 June (Paper 2) and 18 June (Paper 3). Schools may set their own internal deadlines ahead of AQA's, so a student's actual cut-off for having practical work signed off is usually earlier still, and is worth confirming directly with the school rather than assumed to line up with the written exams.
Unevenly, and the split differs by paper. AQA's scheme of assessment sets Paper 1 at AO1 44-48%, AO2 30-34%, AO3 20-24%; Paper 2 at AO1 23-27%, AO2 52-56%, AO3 19-23%; and Paper 3 at AO1 28-32%, AO2 35-39%, AO3 31-35%. Paper 2 leans hardest on AO2, the application of knowledge, while Paper 3 carries by far the widest AO3 share, analysis and evaluation, of the three. Overall across the qualification the weighting is AO1 30-35%, AO2 40-45% and AO3 25-30%, so more than four in ten marks reward application rather than recall.
AQA Biology is a linear qualification, so all three papers must be sat together in the same exam series -- there is no cashing in individual papers separately. Within that constraint, AQA sets no cap on the number of resits: its specification states that students can re-sit the qualification as many times as they wish, within the shelf life of the qualification. Each full resit means sitting all three papers again in one series, not just the paper where marks were weakest, which is a different commitment from a unitised qualification where a single unit can be resat alone.
Yes, but only for UK overseas centres, and on two different timelines from AS. For AS Biology (7401), AQA's last cohort for first teaching is September 2026, the last first sitting is summer 2027, and a final resit runs in September 2028 -- after which the AS is unavailable for UK overseas centres. For the full A-level (7402), first teaching also ends after September 2026, but the last first sitting is a year later, summer 2028, with a final resit in September 2029. UK domestic centres are not affected by either withdrawal; this applies specifically to schools entering students from abroad.
They are two separate, separately certificated qualifications on different mark totals, not one qualification examined at two points. AS Biology carries entry code 7401 and is graded on a five-point scale, A to E; A-level Biology carries entry code 7402 and is graded on a six-point scale, A* to E, with a discount code of 1010 and an Ofqual qualification accreditation number of 601/4625/4. A school can teach the first four topics to double as both the AS content and the first year of the A-level, but a student's final result depends on which qualification they are actually entered for. Leading Tuition's Year 12 AQA A-level Biology guide covers the AS-specific papers, marks and boundaries in full.
AQA sets no formal entry requirement -- its specification states there are no previous learning requirements and that entry criteria are at each school's own discretion. AQA does recommend that students have the skills and knowledge associated with at least GCSE Combined Science or GCSE Biology, or an equivalent qualification, before starting. In practice this means a school can in principle admit a student without a science GCSE, but AQA's own guidance assumes GCSE-level foundation, and a student without it is likely to need that foundation built alongside the A-level content rather than instead of it.
Twelve required practicals, five CPAC competencies, one AO weighting table -- and a tutor who works to all three. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Start with the A-level tutoring hub or the wider Biology tutor service.
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