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OCR GCSE

OCR GCSE Biology A past papers

32 OCR GCSE Biology A (J247) papers from 8 series, June 2018 to June 2025, with mark schemes and examiner reports. Each series opens OCR’s past papers page for J247, where you pick the paper.

What is free: OCR first gives each series to schools for mock exams. About 14 months after the exam, it goes on OCR’s public site and stays there for at least five years, and longer for maths and science.

What is held back: Until then, the most recent series are for teachers only, on OCR’s Teach Cambridge site.

June 2025

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the June 2025 papers on OCR’s website

June 2024

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the June 2024 papers on OCR’s website

June 2023

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the June 2023 papers on OCR’s website

June 2022

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the June 2022 papers on OCR’s website

November 2021

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark scheme
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark scheme
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark scheme
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark scheme

Open the November 2021 papers on OCR’s website

November 2020

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark scheme
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark scheme
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the November 2020 papers on OCR’s website

June 2019

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the June 2019 papers on OCR’s website

June 2018

  • Paper 1 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 2 (Foundation) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 3 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report
  • Paper 4 (Higher) Question paperMark schemeExaminer report

Open the June 2018 papers on OCR’s website

See everything for J247 on OCR’s website

What the Biology A exam contains

OCR GCSE Gateway Biology A (J247) has two papers for each tier, each 1 hour 45 minutes and 90 marks: Papers 1 and 2 at Foundation, Papers 3 and 4 at Higher. Each paper opens with 15 marks of multiple-choice questions, then has short-answer and structured questions, including one six-mark extended answer. The course runs from cell-level systems and scaling up to organism-level and community-level systems, genes, inheritance and selection, and global challenges, with practical skills tested throughout.

Biology A at other boards

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