The TSR Community Awards 2025 are now live >>

Getting an A* in cie international biology

I just made a post similar to this about psychology a level, but for those who may not have seen it, I’m currently a year 13 student who takes bio a level and because i do cie international a level, my course is split up into AS and A level which means my final grade is a combination of my grades in both components. I got a B for AS levels but i need an A* in my final A-level to get into my dream uni. Is this possible? I’m getting a lot of mixed opinions, if someone could let me know roughly what i would need to score in A2 and how realistic this is that would be amazing. Also if anyone has been able to go from a B to an A* lmk because I’ve lost all hope

Reply 1

lepharaon33

Yes, it’s possible — but it depends on your exact UMS breakdown.
How CIE grades work (simplified):
Your final grade is based on the combined UMS from AS + A2. AS is worth 50%, A2 is worth 50%.
If your AS was a B, you’re typically somewhere around 60–69% UMS.
To pull this up to an overall A* (≈90% combined), you’d generally need something in the range of ~95–100% UMS in A2, depending on your exact AS score.
Is it realistic?
Yes — many students go from B at AS to A* overall because A2 is more content‑dense but also more predictable once you master exam technique (command words, structured answers, data‑handling). It’s tough, but absolutely doable with disciplined revision.
Tips that actually make a difference for CIE Bio A2:
Drill past papers by topic, then timed papers later.
Learn the mark scheme language — CIE is very specific.
Focus heavily on planning/data-analysis questions.
Do many Paper 5/6 practice questions if you're doing the practical paper.

Reply 2

Poopyalevel

thank you so much!! my raw mark was a 79/130 i’m pretty sure, what UMS percentage would this be and how do you calculate it? I’ve been looking online but all the answers really confuse me. thank you so so much again, this is rlly helpf :smile: