IB Diploma Biology HL past papers

Official past papers and markschemes for IB Diploma Biology HL are sold by the International Baccalaureate (IB), not given away free, so we cannot host or copy them. Here is where to get them, how the papers are set out and how to revise with them.

Where to get the official papers

The IB store (run by Follett) The IB's official shop. Search for Biology to find past papers and markschemes for each May and November session, sold as downloads.
IB Diploma Programme Biology The IB's own page for the course, with the subject brief that sums up the syllabus and assessment.

Your school can also get past papers and specimen papers for the new course through the IB's Programme Resource Centre, so ask your teacher before you buy any. Papers from before 2025 were written for the old syllabus: many questions still help, but some topics have moved or gone. Clock it with SCI is not affiliated with the International Baccalaureate (IB) and does not host any past papers.

How the papers are set out

Paper	Time	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1	2 hours	36% of the grade: 75 marks	Paper 1A: 40 multiple-choice questions, with no marks taken off for wrong answers. Paper 1B: four data-based questions on experimental work and the syllabus. Any theme can come up.
Paper 2	2 hours 30 minutes	44% of the grade: 80 marks	Section A: a data-based question and short-answer questions. Section B: two extended-response questions from a choice of three. Any theme can come up.
Internal assessment	About 10 hours, written up in at most 3,000 words	20% of the grade: 24 marks	A scientific investigation of your own research question, marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB

From the IB Biology guide (first assessment 2025). Always check the latest version with your teacher before the exam.

How to use past papers

Revise the topic first. Past papers test whether you can use what you know, so go through the revision notes and specification checklist before you start.
Practise one topic at a time. Early on, use our exam questions by subtopic (for example Water) and the printable topic tests, which come with mark schemes.
Then sit a full paper, timed. Use the time and marks above, with no notes. Leave a question you are stuck on and come back to it.
Mark it with the official mark scheme. Give a mark only where your answer says what the mark scheme says. Note the points you missed, not just the score.
Go back to the notes for every question you lost marks on. Look up any terms you got wrong in the glossary, then try that topic again a week later.
Read the examiner reports. They say where students lost marks in each question, which is often the quickest way to pick up marks.