Process
Edexcel AS Biology B, memorised in year one.
Everything the AS examines and nothing from the second year. Drill the 4 topics the 8BI0 specification actually examines.
- AS of 9BI0
- 4 topics
- 66 subtopics
Edexcel AS-Level Biology B 9BI0
Biological Molecules
Topic overviewMonosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharidesGlycosidic bonds and condensation reactionsStarch, glycogen and cellulose structureTriglycerides and phospholipidsSaturated and unsaturated fats and lipid propertiesAmino acid structure and the peptide bondPrimary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structureFibrous and globular proteinsThe structure of DNADNA replication and gene mutationsThe structure of RNATranscription and translationEnzymes as globular proteinsFactors affecting enzyme activityMeasuring the rate of enzyme activityUnits, uncertainty and experimental errorEnzyme inhibitionInorganic ionsThe properties of water
Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things
Topic overviewCell theory and eukaryotic cell structureProkaryotic cells and Gram stainingMicroscopy, magnification and resolutionSignificant figures, estimates and mathematical symbolsVirus structure and classificationThe lytic cycle and latencyTreating viral disease and the ethics of untested drugsThe cell cycle and its regulationMitosis and the behaviour of chromosomesMitosis in growth, repair and root tip squashesMeiosis, genetic variation and chromosome mutationsGametogenesis in mammalsFertilisation and early embryo developmentPollen and embryo sac formationDouble fertilisation in flowering plantsInvestigating pollen tube growth
Classification and Biodiversity
Exchange and Transport
Topic overviewSurface area to volume ratioThe fluid mosaic modelDiffusion, osmosis and facilitated diffusionActive transport, endocytosis and exocytosisGas exchange in insects, fish and mammalsDissecting the insect gas exchange systemGas exchange in flowering plantsThe structure of the heart and blood vesselsThe double circulatory systemThe cardiac cycleMyogenic stimulation and ECG tracesThe composition of bloodThe functions of blood and clottingAtherosclerosis and its risk factorsHaemoglobin and the Bohr effectOxygen dissociation curvesFormation of tissue fluidThe lymphatic systemXylem and phloem structureApoplastic and symplastic pathwaysThe cohesion-tension theoryMeasuring transpiration with a potometerTranslocation and the mass flow hypothesis
What Edexcel AS Biology B covers, and what it leaves out
Edexcel AS Biology B is specification 8BI0, the standalone first-year qualification alongside the 9BI0 A level. This page holds only what the AS examines: 4 topics across 66 subtopics, 1,072 active recall questions, starting with Biological Molecules, Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things and Classification and Biodiversity. The 6 topics kept back for the second year are not shown, so nothing here is content you have not been taught yet.
Starting the second year? The full Edexcel A-Level Biology B page adds the A2 topics on top of everything here.
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Biology B, specification 9BI0. Read the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗
The full specification
4 topics, 66 subtopics. Open any topic to see what is inside it.
01Biological Molecules19 subtopicsOpen topic
- Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides
- Glycosidic bonds and condensation reactions
- Starch, glycogen and cellulose structure
- Triglycerides and phospholipids
- Saturated and unsaturated fats and lipid properties
- Amino acid structure and the peptide bond
- Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure
- Fibrous and globular proteins
- The structure of DNA
- DNA replication and gene mutations
- The structure of RNA
- Transcription and translation
- Enzymes as globular proteins
- Factors affecting enzyme activity
- Measuring the rate of enzyme activity
- Units, uncertainty and experimental error
- Enzyme inhibition
- Inorganic ions
- The properties of water
02Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things16 subtopicsOpen topic
- Cell theory and eukaryotic cell structure
- Prokaryotic cells and Gram staining
- Microscopy, magnification and resolution
- Significant figures, estimates and mathematical symbols
- Virus structure and classification
- The lytic cycle and latency
- Treating viral disease and the ethics of untested drugs
- The cell cycle and its regulation
- Mitosis and the behaviour of chromosomes
- Mitosis in growth, repair and root tip squashes
- Meiosis, genetic variation and chromosome mutations
- Gametogenesis in mammals
- Fertilisation and early embryo development
- Pollen and embryo sac formation
- Double fertilisation in flowering plants
- Investigating pollen tube growth
03Classification and Biodiversity8 subtopicsOpen topic
04Exchange and Transport23 subtopicsOpen topic
- Surface area to volume ratio
- The fluid mosaic model
- Diffusion, osmosis and facilitated diffusion
- Active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis
- Gas exchange in insects, fish and mammals
- Dissecting the insect gas exchange system
- Gas exchange in flowering plants
- The structure of the heart and blood vessels
- The double circulatory system
- The cardiac cycle
- Myogenic stimulation and ECG traces
- The composition of blood
- The functions of blood and clotting
- Atherosclerosis and its risk factors
- Haemoglobin and the Bohr effect
- Oxygen dissociation curves
- Formation of tissue fluid
- The lymphatic system
- Xylem and phloem structure
- Apoplastic and symplastic pathways
- The cohesion-tension theory
- Measuring transpiration with a potometer
- Translocation and the mass flow hypothesis
How you work through it
Pick the mode that fits the time you have.
Try three questions
No account needed. Answer from memory first.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Why do unsaturated lipids tend to be liquid at room temperature?
Key term
What chains and prosthetic groups make up a haemoglobin molecule, and how many oxygen molecules can it bind?
Spaced Repetition Schedule
How reviews are timed
Levo will automatically distribute all of your progress into a spaced repetition calendar. Once you’ve answered, it’s scheduled for you on the next day in the spaced repetition schedule. Over time, the gaps between your recall get bigger, from a day to three years, reinforcing memorisation over a long period of time.
Interval sequence
- 1 day
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 4 months
- 8 months
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material
Biology B revision questions
Common questions about revising Edexcel AS-Level Biology B. Tap any to open it.
What is on Edexcel AS Biology B?
4 topics across 66 subtopics, examined as its own qualification, specification 8BI0. They are all listed on this page, and each one opens to the subtopics inside it. The full topic list is Biological Molecules, Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things, Classification and Biodiversity, Exchange and Transport.
Does AS Biology B count towards the full A level?
No. AS was decoupled in England in 2015, so Edexcel AS Biology B (8BI0) is a separate qualification and none of its marks carry into the 9BI0 A level. It is still the same content though, which is why revising it well sets up the second year.
What is the difference between AS and A level Biology B?
AS is the first-year units only. The A level adds 6 further topics, among them Energy for Biological Processes, Microbiology and Pathogens, Modern Genetics, and expects you to connect them back to the AS material. Work the AS content here, then move up to the full A level page when you start the second year.
When do you sit Edexcel AS Biology B?
Normally at the end of Year 12, in the summer series. That gives you one year to memorise 1,072 questions' worth of material, which is roughly 6 questions a day across an academic year if you start in September.
How should you revise for AS Biology B?
By retrieval, not rereading. Cover the answer, pull it from memory, then check. Levo runs that loop across all 4 AS topics and brings each question back on a spaced schedule, so what you learn in September is still there in June.
Is it worth revising AS content again for the A level?
Yes, and it is the mistake most students make. The A-level papers examine this content again from scratch, and because the AS marks do not carry over, the only thing your first year leaves you with is what you still remember. Keeping it on a spaced schedule through Year 13 costs far less than relearning it.
How many questions are there for Edexcel AS Biology B?
1,072, written from the 9BI0 subject content and grouped into 66 subtopics so you can work one small area at a time rather than a whole topic at once.
Can you use Levo for just the AS year?
Yes. Pick your subject, choose the AS topics on the topic screen, and every mode — the 3-step method, Cram, Blank Blitz, Build It and Test It — works only that material. Add the second-year topics when you get to them.
Every question in Biology B, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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