OCR AS Level Biology A Past Papers

OCR AS Level Biology A (H020) covers Modules 1 to 4 of the specification — the content assessed at the end of Year 12 — across two examination papers. Both papers draw on the same underlying content but assess it at different cognitive levels: Breadth in Biology tests knowledge recall and understanding across all four modules, while Depth in Biology tests the ability to apply knowledge to unfamiliar contexts and interpret experimental data. Paper 1: Breadth in Biology (H020/01, 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks) assesses Module 1 (Development of Practical Skills in Biology), Module 2 (Foundations of Biology), Module 3 (Exchange and Transport), and Module 4 (Biodiversity, Evolution and Disease). Question types include multiple choice, short structured questions, and extended writing. Module 2 content covers biological molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, DNA and RNA), cell structure and function (organelles and their roles), cell division (mitosis and the cell cycle), cell transport (diffusion, osmosis, active transport), and enzymes. Module 3 covers surface area to volume ratio, gas exchange surfaces in insects, fish, and mammals, the mammalian heart and cardiac cycle, blood vessels, water uptake and translocation in plants, and transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood. Paper 2: Depth in Biology (H020/02, 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks) assesses the same four modules but uses a resource booklet to present unfamiliar biological information — research findings, experimental data, graphs, or novel scenarios. Candidates must interpret this information and apply their specification knowledge to explain, evaluate, or predict. This paper contains longer extended-response questions (worth 6–9 marks) that require sustained biological argument and clear scientific reasoning.