The Student Room Group

Hows everyone feeling for the Edexcel (B) A2 Biology Exam?

I've almost learnt all of the content in a week, but it seems NO MATTER how much you remember the questions are still *****ng impossible.
Unless you've read every word of the textbook and know how to apply knowledge from 5 different topics into one answer and then explain how the graph relates to that along with **** you've never heard of before.
It actually seems impossible to get a good grade.

That's how i'm feeling... How about you..?
Are you doing the new spec? And yes, I feel exactly the same way. Revising for tomorrow's PM exam and it's just impossible. Really rigid mark scheme, all really roundabout applied questions.
Reply 2
Haha yep new spec!
I just feel like im fighting a losing battle with Bio. 😂

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by monkcatcher
Haha yep new spec!
I just feel like im fighting a losing battle with Bio. 😂

Posted from TSR Mobile


what grades have you been getting and what grade do you need for uni?

I'm at this point where it's like....the test is tomorrow, you revised ****ing hard and did so many past papers including all the specimen papers, you couldn't have done much more. I really tried to bring my grade up but the paper is ****ing impossible. Even getting 56% or whatever was needed for the AS 2016 was ****ing hard.

The only thing I'm hoping for is that they make the paper a little easier the way it was in previous years (it was like 67% for an A roughly, I think?). But I doubt that's going to happen because they seem hell bent on preventing biology students doing well.
Reply 4
Original post by violeta23
what grades have you been getting and what grade do you need for uni?

I'm at this point where it's like....the test is tomorrow, you revised ****ing hard and did so many past papers including all the specimen papers, you couldn't have done much more. I really tried to bring my grade up but the paper is ****ing impossible. Even getting 56% or whatever was needed for the AS 2016 was ****ing hard.

The only thing I'm hoping for is that they make the paper a little easier the way it was in previous years (it was like 67% for an A roughly, I think?). But I doubt that's going to happen because they seem hell bent on preventing biology students doing well.


Well fortunately for me i'm hoping to go to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst or go straight into commercial flying, which I already qualify for, but it's the frustration of spending 2 years doing a subject and coming out with basically nothing, especially how i'm not going on to do anything in that field.
Original post by monkcatcher
Well fortunately for me i'm hoping to go to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst or go straight into commercial flying, which I already qualify for, but it's the frustration of spending 2 years doing a subject and coming out with basically nothing, especially how i'm not going on to do anything in that field.


Don't know if it's just our exam board or whether it's all of them that are impossibly difficult?

Guess we'll just have to wait and see how hard they make it this year. If it's like the specimens, it'll probably be like 50% for an A. Ridiculous. "Yeah I got into Cambridge uni to do medicine....got half the answers right on my biology a level. Let me be your doctor."
Yes set 2 papers are definitely harder than set 1 papers, thanks for letting me know it was pm lmao, thought it was AM
Some of the application questions are utterly ridiculous, need to be psychic to replicat mark scheme, hence the lenient boundaries
Original post by violeta23
Don't know if it's just our exam board or whether it's all of them that are impossibly difficult?

Guess we'll just have to wait and see how hard they make it this year. If it's like the specimens, it'll probably be like 50% for an A. Ridiculous. "Yeah I got into Cambridge uni to do medicine....got half the answers right on my biology a level. Let me be your doctor."


Balances out though because on old spec you would have gotten 80 for an A, not fair you are disadvantaged because of your age
Reply 8
Guys, I'm really worried, does any one have any sort of feeling of what might come up? Times are desperate 😂
Original post by Bella212
Guys, I'm really worried, does any one have any sort of feeling of what might come up? Times are desperate 😂


I feel like they can ask literally anything
Think we will get some % calculation some magnification calculation, bacterial growth- cell count,turbidity question, probably some heart multiple choice questions, 5 marker on protein synthesis, some microscope questions, long question on respiration/photosynthesis and calculating D ( diversity) question and commenting on value in words/ natural selection Q

thats what i predict
Well I feel totally ****ed now.

Posted from TSR Mobile
You are my hero

Original post by Dwarf-Shortage
I feel like they can ask literally anything
Think we will get some % calculation some magnification calculation, bacterial growth- cell count,turbidity question, probably some heart multiple choice questions, 5 marker on protein synthesis, some microscope questions, long question on respiration/photosynthesis and calculating D ( diversity) question and commenting on value in words/ natural selection Q

thats what i predict

Quick Reply

Latest