H2 Biology Practical 2026: Lab Mastery Blueprint
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)19 Sep 2025, 00:00 Z
Join our Telegram study groupQ: What does H2 Biology Practical 2026: Lab Mastery Blueprint cover?
A: Convert H2 Biology Paper 4 from a stress point into a strength with a syllabus-aligned breakdown of assessment demands, lab competencies, digital data
TL;DR
Paper 4 carries 20 % of the H2 Biology (9477) grade (2 h 30 min, 50 marks; P 4 %, MMO/PDO/ACE 16 % combined) and expects students to handle microscopes, serial dilutions, enzyme assays, and clear data presentation with exam-level precision.
Build lab mileage early: rehearse full investigations, critique limitations, and keep both manual and spreadsheet plotting skills sharp so you can work within your exam centre’s allowed tools.
Status: SEAB H2 Biology (9477, first exam 2026) syllabus and Scheme of Assessment last checked 2025-11-29 (PDF last modified 2025-11-28). Paper 4 weighting confirmed at 20 % (Planning 4 %; MMO/PDO/ACE 16 % combined) with two investigations plus a planning task.
1 How Paper 4 is assessed in 2026
| Paper | Focus | Duration | Marks | Weighting |
| Paper 4 | Practical | 2 h 30 min | 50 | 20 % |
- Candidates complete two multi-stage investigations plus a planning task, covering MMO (manipulation, measurement, observation), PDO (presentation of data, observation) and ACE (analysis, conclusions, evaluation).\[1]
- Paper 4 may include data-handling questions without apparatus to test PDO/ACE, so practise both manual calculations and clear graph/table presentation.\[1]
- Planning marks reward clear hypotheses, variable control, measurement strategy, risk mitigation and proposed data treatment; rehearsing written plans under timed conditions is now non-negotiable.
