Biology mock exam
Queensland Certificate of Education - Biology External Assessment. Sit it in one block, time yourself with the on-screen clock, then self-mark against the model answers.
Paper structure from the official QCAA page.
Want the real thing? Open the 2025 Biology paper walkthrough for the official structure and marking criteria.
Structure unverified
QCE subjects moved to the QCAA 2025 General senior syllabuses in 2025, and 2026 is the first year they are externally assessed. Timing follows the 2026 QCAA timetable: two papers, each 90 minutes plus 5 minutes perusal, sat in separate sessions on the same day. This mock runs both as one sitting. We could not confirm the 2026 external assessment format and mark allocation from QCAA documents, so this mock follows the shape of recent past papers. Check the QCAA syllabus and your school's advice before treating it as a dress rehearsal. Its question styles come from past papers set on the 2019 QCAA syllabus; the 2025 syllabus applies from the 2026 external assessments.
Paper at a glance
| Section | Questions | Marks | Recommended time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 - Multiple choice | 14 | 14 | 90 min |
| Paper 2 Section 1 - Short response | 12 | 48 | 75 min |
| Paper 2 Section 2 - Extended response | 1 | 10 | 15 min |
The official paper is worth 97 marks. This mock holds 72, because we only use questions we have checked and they don't fill every section of the official paper exactly. Your score is worked out of the marks in the questions you sit, so a perfect paper scores 100%.
Before you start
We do not yet have enough questions in this subject to fill every section of the real paper, so some sections are shorter and the marks are adjusted to match. Sit it anyway to practise pacing.
What this mock covers
- Paper 1 - Multiple choice: 14 multiple-choice questions, auto-marked when you submit.
- Paper 2 Section 1 - Short response: 12 short-answer questions (48 marks), self-marked against a model answer.
- Paper 2 Section 2 - Extended response: 1 extended response (10 marks), self-marked against the marking criteria.
11 syllabus dot points covered
Syllabus dot points examined in this paper:
- DNA structure and semi-conservative replication (QCE Biology Unit 4)
- Energy flow, food webs and trophic efficiency (QCE Biology Unit 3)
- Levels of biodiversity (genetic, species, ecosystem): QCE Biology Unit 3
- Linnaean classification and dichotomous keys: QCE Biology Unit 3
- Measuring biodiversity: species richness, evenness and Simpson's index (QCE Biology Unit 3)
- Mendelian inheritance, Punnett squares and test crosses (QCE Biology Unit 4)
- Mutations and sources of genetic variation (QCE Biology Unit 4)
- Natural selection, fitness and the modern synthesis (QCE Biology Unit 4)
- Pedigree analysis and inheritance probability (QCE Biology Unit 4)
- Population ecology: growth models, carrying capacity and life history (QCE Biology Unit 3)
- Transcription, translation and the genetic code (QCE Biology Unit 4)
Multiple-choice questions are drawn from the Exam-style practice (harder): Biology multiple choice quiz.
Your answers, the clock and your self-marks save on this device as you go, so a reload picks up where you left off.