H2 Biology Practical 2026: Lab Mastery Blueprint
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)19 Sep 2025, 00:00 Z
Reviewed by
Ezekiel Tan
Academic Advisor (Biology)
Q: 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.
Keep this blueprint with the rest of your Paper 4 drills in our H2 Biology Experiments hub.
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.
