Pearson Edexcel Biology papers 1BI0/1F and 1BI0/2F, taught from the board’s own specification, boundary and examiner documents
Book a Free ConsultationFoundation tier Pearson Edexcel GCSE Biology tutoring from Leading Tuition is one-to-one teaching for papers 1BI0/1F and 1BI0/2F, which each carry 100 marks and target grades 1 to 5. Our tutors teach the content examined at this tier, train the 27 marks per paper that overlap with Higher tier, and drill the question styles and command words that Pearson’s examiners’ reports single out.
Everything below comes from Pearson’s own documents: the specification, its tier-entry guide, the grade-boundary PDFs and the examiners’ reports for the Foundation papers. Each section ends by saying what it changes in how a Foundation student is taught.
Our expert GCSE Biology tutors help students at Foundation tier with both Pearson Edexcel papers, building each programme around the student’s own mock marks and the gaps they show.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppThe Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Biology specification (Issue 4, March 2024) says the Foundation paper will target grades 1–5 and the Higher paper grades 4–9, and that students must complete all assessments for the qualification in the same tier. Both Biology papers are therefore sat at Foundation, or both at Higher. Pearson’s Support for Tier Entry decisions guide, which was written for the 2020 entry round and is linked from the board’s sciences page, adds that a Separate Science student can take Biology at Foundation and another science at Higher, but cannot mix tiers between Papers 1 and 2.
Grade 5 is the highest grade a Foundation student can receive. The guide records the DfE’s position that grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 a strong pass, so both thresholds are reachable. It also says grade 6 can only be achieved in the higher-tier papers, that students predicted grade 6 or above in GCSE Science should aim at Higher Tier, and that families should ask post-16 providers about their GCSE requirements. In the other direction, the guide says lower-attaining students may pick up more marks at Foundation, because the Higher paper starts at medium demand.
What this changes in our programme: the first call asks for the student’s predicted grade and what the next school or college requires. Where grade 6 is needed, we teach for Higher and the family is better served by our Higher tier Edexcel GCSE Biology tutoring. Where grade 4 or 5 is the target, the rest of this page describes what we teach.
The specification marks it itself. Its notation key says that text in bold indicates content that is for higher tier only, and Pearson’s tier-entry guide repeats that all Higher-tier content, including the required maths skills, is emboldened. A B after a statement number is a different marking: it means the content is found only in GCSE Biology and not in Combined Science, so a B on its own does not make a statement Higher-only. The table sets each Higher-only item beside the Foundation statement it extends.
| Topic and reference | Examined at Foundation tier | Added at Higher tier only (bold in the specification) |
|---|---|---|
| Topic 1, 1.5 | Units in relation to cells: milli (10−3), micro (10−6), nano (10−9) and pico (10−12) | 1.5e: calculations with numbers written in standard form |
| Topic 2, 2.10B | The structures and functions of the brain, including the cerebellum, cerebral hemispheres and medulla oblongata | 2.11B: how CT and PET scanning overcome the difficulty of accessing brain tissue. 2.12B: limitations in treating damage and disease of the nervous system, including spinal injuries and brain tumours |
| Topic 3, 3.6 | Explaining how DNA can be extracted from fruit | 3.7B: how base order decides amino acid order and protein shape. 3.8B: the stages of protein synthesis, transcription and translation. 3.9B: non-coding DNA variants and the binding of RNA polymerase. 3.10B: coding DNA variants and the amino acid sequence. 3.18B: how sex-linked genetic disorders are inherited |
| Topic 4, 4.10 | Genetic engineering as a process that modifies a genome to introduce desirable characteristics | 4.11: the main stages, using restriction enzymes, ligase, sticky ends and vectors |
| Topic 5, 5.10B, 5.20 | How plants defend themselves by producing chemicals (5.10B), and the stages of developing a new medicine, from discovery to clinical testing (5.20) | 5.11B: detecting and identifying plant diseases. 5.21B: producing monoclonal antibodies. 5.22B: their uses, beginning with pregnancy testing |
| Topic 6, 6.3, 6.5, 6.15B | Temperature, light intensity and carbon dioxide each as a limiting factor on photosynthesis (6.3), the light-intensity core practical (6.5), and auxins in phototropism and gravitropism (6.15B) | 6.4: the interactions of the three factors. 6.6: rate directly proportional to light intensity and inversely proportional to distance from the light source, with the inverse square law calculation. 6.16B: commercial uses of auxins, gibberellins and ethene |
| Topic 7, 7.1 | Where hormones are produced, including the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland | 7.2: adrenalin and the fight-or-flight response. 7.3: thyroxine as an example of negative feedback, with TRH and TSH |
| Topic 7, 7.4, 7.6 | The stages of the menstrual cycle with oestrogen and progesterone (7.4), and how hormonal contraception works (7.6) | 7.5: the interactions of oestrogen, progesterone, FSH and LH. 7.8: hormones in assisted reproductive technology, including IVF and clomifene therapy |
| Topic 7, 7.12B, 7.13 | Thermoregulation with reference to shivering (7.12B, part a), and how insulin controls blood glucose (7.13) | 7.12B parts b and c: vasoconstriction and vasodilation. 7.14: blood glucose regulated by glucagon |
| Topic 7, 7.19B | How the structure of the nephron relates to its function in filtering blood and forming urine | 7.20B: the effect of ADH on the permeability of the collecting duct |
| Topic 9, 9.15 | Nitrates reaching plants, through fertilisers, crop rotation and bacteria in the nitrogen cycle | 9.16B: indicator species as evidence of pollution, from bloodworm and sludgeworm in polluted water to lichens in air |
The use-of-mathematics notes under several topics carry the same instruction in bold, to calculate with numbers written in standard form (1b), which is the Higher-only maths skill behind 1.5e.
What this changes: every item in the right-hand column sits outside what a Foundation paper is built to examine, so Foundation sessions do not spend time on it. The middle column is where the hours go. Statement 7.13 shows why: Pearson’s examiners’ reports for Paper 2F name insulin and diabetes among the topics set in both June 2024 and June 2025, whereas glucagon (7.14) is on the Higher side of the line. If a student later moves up, the right-hand column becomes the added syllabus and we teach it then, in the order of the table.
Our expert GCSE Biology tutors help Foundation tier students work through the Foundation column of this table topic by topic, and tell families plainly when a student’s marks point towards Higher.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppPearson publishes grade boundaries as raw marks out of 200, the two 100-mark papers added together, because the specification states that individual papers are not graded. The table gives this tier’s row from the board’s grade-boundary documents for the three June series, with each boundary also shown as a share of the 200 marks.
| Foundation grade (maximum 200 marks) | June 2024 | June 2025 | June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 130 (65.0%) | 130 (65.0%) | 132 (66.0%) |
| Grade 4 | 111 (55.5%) | 111 (55.5%) | 115 (57.5%) |
| Grade 3 | 81 (40.5%) | 81 (40.5%) | 84 (42.0%) |
| Grade 2 | 51 (25.5%) | 51 (25.5%) | 53 (26.5%) |
| Grade 1 | 22 (11.0%) | 22 (11.0%) | 22 (11.0%) |
The first two rows of figures are identical. In the third series the grade 5 boundary rose by 2 marks, grade 4 by 4, grade 3 by 3 and grade 2 by 2, while grade 1 stayed at 22. The gap between the grade 5 and grade 4 boundaries narrowed from 19 marks to 17, and the gap between grade 4 and grade 3 widened from 30 marks to 31. A student sitting on the grade 5 boundary could drop 70 of the 200 marks in the first two series and 68 in the third.
What this changes: we mark mock papers out of 200 across both papers and set the target above the boundary, not on it, because the grade 4 boundary moved by as much as 4 marks in a single year. Pearson’s tier-entry guide says that mock papers read against notional boundaries give a close indication of how a student will perform, which is how we use them. A student targeting grade 4 needs between 55.5% and 57.5% of the marks in these series, and the plan is built backwards from that share rather than from topic coverage alone.
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Paper 1 (1BI0/1F) examines Topics 1 to 5 and Paper 2 (1BI0/2F) examines Topic 1 and Topics 6 to 9; the whole specification is described on our Edexcel GCSE Biology tutoring page. Each paper lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes, carries 100 marks and has ten compulsory questions, mixing multiple-choice, short-answer, calculation and extended open-response items. The assessment objectives are weighted AO1 40%, AO2 40% and AO3 20%, each with a tolerance of 3 percentage points across the qualification.
Demand is set by tier. Pearson’s guide says around half of the Foundation question items target low-demand processes and around half medium-demand ones, that Foundation papers generally start with lower-demand questions to build confidence, and that certain question types, such as words in a box, sentence completion and line matching, will only appear in the Foundation paper. The Higher paper, by contrast, starts at medium demand.
The 27 overlap marks per paper are where the two tiers meet. The guide says these questions are at medium demand, target grades 4 and 5, and tend to sit towards the end of the Foundation paper. Its table for the June 2018 papers lists them as parts of Foundation questions 8, 9 and 10 on both Paper 1 and Paper 2 (on Paper 1, for example, 8b, 8c, 8d, 9a and 10a), with parts of Higher questions 2, 3 and 4 as their counterparts. That is the board’s June 2018 pattern, and the word it uses for the position is “tend”, so we treat the last three questions as the grade 4 and 5 zone without assuming every future paper repeats it.
Maths is 10% of the Biology marks in the guide’s breakdown, and the specification sets the minimum level on Foundation papers at Key Stage 3 mathematics. A student whose arithmetic is the real obstacle also benefits from our Foundation tier Edexcel GCSE Maths tutoring, since percentages, means and rates appear on both subjects’ papers.
What this changes: we train the paper from both ends. Early questions are practised for accuracy and instruction-following; the last three are practised timed, as the block where grade 4 and 5 marks are decided. The question styles listed above are drilled directly, so that a words-in-a-box item costs a student no time on the day. The eight core practicals are taught as practicals, because the written papers draw on them.
Our expert Edexcel GCSE Biology tutors work one-to-one with Foundation tier students on Paper 1F and Paper 2F, from the Foundation column of the specification to timed practice on the overlap questions.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppPearson publishes an examiners’ report for each paper. The table draws from the reports for the June 2024 and June 2025 Foundation papers and shows which contexts the extended questions used, which practical and maths skills were named, and the one observation per paper that bears most on teaching.
| Paper and series | Extended and 6-mark questions | Practical, maths and topics named | Examiners’ observation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1F, June 2024 | First extended open-response question: physical defences used by plants. Second: the path of electrical impulses in a reflex arc | Practical: extracting DNA from fruit, measuring the energy content of foods, tissue culture | Candidates should understand the difference between the factors being investigated and controlled variables |
| 1F, June 2025 | First extended question: advantages and disadvantages of biological control. Second: devise a plan to investigate kiwi fruit juice and the breakdown of set agar | Practical: extracting DNA from fruit, reaction times, osmosis and diffusion. Maths: a Punnett square and a percentage probability | Devising a workable plan was still a challenge for a large number of candidates |
| 2F, June 2024 | The two 6-mark questions covered food tests for glucose and protein, and movement of water through and out of a tree | Topics included the role of insulin and diabetes, and nephron structure and function | A list of alternative ideas can lose marks, because an incorrect response disqualifies a creditable one |
| 2F, June 2025 | Two extended open-response questions | Topics included insulin and diabetes. Maths: rates, percentages and a rate answer to 3 or 4 decimal places | Calculation questions were described as some of the easiest on which to score, and the word quadrat could lift a 3-mark answer to 4 |
Both 2025 reports describe the papers as accessible to Foundation candidates. The Paper 1F report says relatively few questions were routinely left blank, and the Paper 2F report says almost all items were accessible to most Foundation candidates with comparatively few blank responses. The marks lost were therefore not marks left blank. They were marks lost to the instruction in the stem, to the wrong command word and to vague wording, and the reports’ own paper summaries list the same habits: show the working so that errors carried forward score, recognise what “describe” and “explain” each ask for, check the number of marks against the number of points, and learn the key words from the specification points.
What this changes: sessions end with short exam-style items marked the way the board marks them. Calculations are done first, because they are the most reliable marks. A plan-writing routine is built from the eight core practicals, since the 2025 Paper 1F report shows a plan as the second extended question. Key words are taught against the specification statement they belong to, so that a student writes quadrat where the mark scheme looks for it.
Our expert GCSE Biology tutors help Foundation tier students turn examiners’ comments into habits, from plan-writing and calculations to the exact key words each specification point needs.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppEach programme starts from the student’s latest mock paper, marked out of 200 and sorted by Paper 1 and Paper 2 topics, then read against the boundary table above. From that the tutor builds the order of work: the Foundation column of the specification table first, the topics where marks were lost second, and timed overlap-style questions in the final stretch. Sessions are one-to-one, and the programme is built around the student’s own school reports, mock results and topic-by-topic diagnostics.
The tier question stays open for as long as it is useful. If mock marks show a student is working well above the Foundation boundaries, we say so and discuss Higher with the family, using the board’s own test that a predicted grade 6 or above points to Higher. If a student on Higher is finding the early questions out of reach, the same table lets us see what a move down would keep. Either way, the family hears the reasoning and the marks behind it.
Reviewed 31 October 2026 against Pearson’s Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Biology specification (Issue 4, March 2024), its tier-entry guide, the three June grade-boundary documents published from 2024 onwards and the examiners’ reports for papers 1F and 2F in June 2024 and June 2025.
The specification says students must complete all assessments in the same tier, so a move changes both papers. Pearson’s tier-entry guide, written for the 2020 entry round, set a deadline of 21 February for entries and allowed changes until 21 April. Those dates belong to that round, so the school’s exams officer has to confirm the current cut-off. Because Biology has two papers of 100 marks each, the switch should be made before either paper is sat.
Yes. Pearson’s specification says grades 1–5 are available at Foundation tier and grades 4–9 at Higher tier. Its tier-entry guide quotes the DfE’s position that grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 a strong pass, so Foundation reaches both thresholds. The same guide says grade 6 can only be achieved in the higher-tier papers, which is why a student aiming for grade 6 or above is taught for Higher instead.
In Pearson’s grade-boundary PDFs, Foundation grade 4 needed 111 of 200 marks in June 2024 and June 2025 (55.5%), and 115 of 200 in June 2026 (57.5%). Grade 5 needed 130, 130 and 132. The 200 marks are Paper 1F plus Paper 2F added together, because the specification states that individual papers are not graded. A strong Paper 1 can therefore offset a weaker Paper 2.
The specification requires students to carry out all eight mandatory core practicals, including osmosis in potatoes (1.16) and the effect of light intensity on photosynthesis (6.5), and to use that knowledge in the written papers. Pearson’s examiners’ reports for Paper 1F name extracting DNA from fruit in both June 2024 and June 2025, with osmosis and diffusion added in 2025 and tissue culture in 2024. Planning an investigation was still a challenge for a large number of candidates in 2025.
Pearson’s tier-entry guide gives the assessment of maths skills in Biology as 10% of the marks, and the specification sets the minimum level for Foundation papers at Key Stage 3 mathematics. The June 2025 Paper 1F report lists drawing a bar chart, calculating a mean, completing a Punnett square and finding a percentage probability. The Paper 2F report advised giving a rate answer to 3 or 4 decimal places and said calculation questions are some of the easiest on which to score.
Overlap questions are worth 27 marks on each Biology paper and appear in both the Foundation and Higher papers. Pearson’s tier-entry guide says they sit at medium demand, target grades 4 and 5, and can be used with borderline students when deciding tier entry. In the board’s June 2018 table they were parts of Foundation questions 8 to 10 on both papers, against parts of Higher questions 2 to 4, so a Foundation student meets them as the paper closes.
The Foundation statements stay, and the Higher-only column of the specification table becomes added content, from 1.5e standard form to 9.16B indicator species. Grades 4 and 5 are available at both tiers, and 27 marks per paper are common, so a student near that overlap loses little time. Our Higher tier page uses the same three June series, so the boundaries are comparable. A student predicted grade 6 or above is taught for Higher from the first session.
Book a free consultation to talk through the Pearson Edexcel Biology papers, the tier decision and a programme for your child, or see our Edexcel GCSE Combined Science tutoring if the school enters your child for that course instead.
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