AQA GCSE Biology Paper 1 2025 Question Paper

Get the official AQA GCSE Biology Paper 1 Higher Tier (8461/1H) question paper from the **13 May 2025 afternoon exam** — the exact paper used across UK exam centres. This paper is worth **100 marks** and covers key topics including cell biology, organisation, infection and response, and bioenergetics.
The paper begins with questions on infectious diseases. For example, *Question 1 (pages 2–5)* focuses on measles, including pathogen type, transmission, vaccination, and data interpretation using a bar chart comparing vaccinated vs unvaccinated children.

*Question 2 (pages 6–11)* explores diet and enzymes. It includes data analysis of sugar intake and obesity (*Table 1, page 6*), graph skills such as plotting a line of best fit (*page 7*), and enzyme activity involving amylase at different temperatures (*Table 2, page 10*).

Practical skills are tested in *Question 3 (pages 12–13)*, which evaluates an osmosis investigation using potato cubes, including experimental design and validity improvements.

Bioenergetics is covered in *Question 4 (pages 15–18)*, including photosynthesis experiments with pondweed (*Table 4, page 16*), limiting factors, and plant diseases such as those causing leaf discolouration and spots.

Human biology features in *Question 5 (pages 19–24)*, covering the circulatory system, heart structure (*Figure 6, page 21*), respiration, oxygen debt, and adaptations of red blood cells.
Further topics include gas exchange in fish (*Question 6, page 26*), stem cells and monoclonal antibodies (*Question 7, pages 28–32*), and microbiology including bacterial vs yeast cells and antibiotic effectiveness (*Question 8, pages 33–35*). {index=6}

Use this paper to practise under real exam conditions, improve data analysis, and develop extended-response skills for higher-tier biology questions. Pair it with the AQA 8461/1H June 2025 mark scheme for complete exam preparation.

This document is designed for GCSE Biology students preparing for the 2026 exam series, particularly Year 11 students studying the AQA 8461 Higher Tier specification, as well as resit candidates and independent learners.

It is also ideal for teachers, tutors, and revision providers who need authentic exam material for mocks, timed assessments, and practical exam preparation. It supports both knowledge recall and application-based questions across core biology topics.