The Cambridge AS & A Level Biology (9700) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. All five papers, 9700/12 to 9700/52, can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is a breakdown of what each paper tested and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the papers themselves.

Key points from the 2026 9700 papers

• Enzymes appeared on four of the five papers. Paper 1 had a mutated enzyme and HIV protease, Paper 2 lactate dehydrogenase, Paper 4 hexokinase, and the 20-mark Paper 5 question was about catalase in avocados.
• Cell signalling and receptors linked several questions: methyl jasmonate in a crop on Paper 2, gibberellin and DELLA proteins, caffeine at adenosine receptors and ADH on Paper 4.
• Respiration and ATP were worth 21 marks on Paper 4, across ATP use in brain neurones, hexokinase deficiency, the Krebs cycle and anaerobic respiration.
• Maths came up on every written paper: an actual length in nm, a graticule calibration, two percentage changes, a 50% increase read from a graph and a 95% confidence interval.
• The long answers are points-based. Paper 4 Question 8(b) gave 7 marks for ADH and Paper 5 Question 1(b)(ii) gave 7 for a method. Each mark was for one specific point.

All May/June 2026 9700 papers

Paper	Code	Duration	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1 Multiple Choice	9700/12	1 hour 15 minutes	40	40 questions on the AS content
Paper 2 AS Level Structured Questions	9700/22	1 hour 15 minutes	60	Written questions on the AS content
Paper 3 Advanced Practical Skills	9700/32	2 hours	40	A lab investigation and a microscope question (AS)
Paper 4 A Level Structured Questions	9700/42	2 hours	100	Written questions on the A Level content
Paper 5 Planning, Analysis and Evaluation	9700/52	1 hour 15 minutes	30	Planning, data analysis and evaluation (A Level)

Timings and marks are taken from the front cover of each 2026 paper. Paper 1 is answered on a multiple choice answer sheet; the others are answered on the question paper. For the full syllabus content, see the Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology 9700 syllabus.

Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 9700/12, /22, /32, /42 and /52. All variants cover the same syllabus at the same difficulty, so variant 2 is just as good for practice as the one your school sat.

Download the 9700 May/June 2026 papers →

What came up in 9700 Paper 4 (A Level Structured Questions), May/June 2026?

Paper 4 had ten questions worth 100 marks, spread across the A Level topics.

Question	Topic	Marks
1	Nerves: labelling parts of a motor neurone, including those for saltatory conduction, the events of an action potential	8
2	Plant growth regulators: where gibberellin is released in a barley seed, the receptor, DELLA protein and transcription factor, the promoter, dwarf pea plants	8
3	Evolution: genetic techniques to tell two tree-frog populations apart, allopatric speciation, mating calls and non-viable eggs, causes of variation in body length	13
4	Genetic technology: what genetic engineering of crops means, percentage change in GM crop area from 2000 to 2012, how GM crops improve food supply (5)	10
5	Inheritance: a sex-linked genetic diagram for pigeon feather colour with three alleles, the type of inheritance, a test cross	9
6	ATP: glucose uptake into neurones, a calculation comparing neurone and muscle ATP use, why neurones use so much ATP, caffeine and adenosine receptors	10
7	Classification and conservation: classifying the southern damselfly, Animalia compared with Plantae, why the damselfly is endangered, limits of mark-release-recapture	12
8	Homeostasis: the proximal convoluted tubule, Na⁺/K⁺ pumps and cotransport proteins, the role of ADH in osmoregulation (7)	11
9	Respiration: effects of hexokinase deficiency on red blood cells, the Krebs cycle in muscle, anaerobic respiration	11
10	Photosynthesis: chloroplast structure and function, Rf values from a chromatogram, the role of accessory pigments	8

What made it hard: Question 8(b) was worth 7 marks on one process. A general answer about “more water reabsorbed” would earn only a few of the twelve listed points.

What came up in 9700 Paper 2 (AS Level Structured Questions)?

Paper 2 had six questions worth 60 marks. Several were set in unfamiliar contexts.

Question	Topic	Marks
1	Prokaryotes and viruses: double-membrane organelles, the capsid and cell wall, the length of a T-phage in nm, why phages are specific, which disease phage therapy cannot treat, benefits of phage therapy	11
2	Collagen in the gas exchange system: cartilage in the trachea and bronchi, telomeres, centrioles, a chromosome at telophase, endothelial cells, a thicker interstitium and diffusion, peptide bonds, glycine and alanine in the triple helix	16
3	Cell signalling: data on methyl jasmonate and salt stress in Brassica napus seedlings, and how a spray on shoots affects roots	4
4	Immunity: plasma cells, ordering the hybridoma method, why myeloma cells can’t divide, how a gene mutation gives a non-functioning enzyme, HIV and the monoclonal antibody VRC01	14
5	Transport: letters on a double circulation diagram, the specific heat capacity of water in blood, water and mass flow in phloem	9
6	Enzymes: optimum pH and temperature for lactate dehydrogenase, effects of pH on enzyme structure, why a blood test runs at room temperature	6

Watch for: Question 3 was only 4 marks but needed both a conclusion from the data and an explanation of transport to the roots. The scheme said you must attempt both to reach full marks.

What came up in 9700 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)?

Paper 1 has 40 questions, each worth 1 mark, covering the AS content. Grouped by syllabus area:

• Cell structure (6): the width of a membrane, magnification and resolution, a lysosome in a macrophage, where labelled nucleotides go, animal and plant cell structures, features shared by prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
• Biological molecules (8): food tests on a disaccharide from starch, the formula of starch, covalent bonds in polymers, water needed to hydrolyse amylose, triglycerides and phospholipids, tertiary structure of FSH, haemoglobin, roles of water.
• Enzymes (2): a mutation that slows an enzyme, drugs that target HIV protease.
• Cell membranes and transport (4): positions of molecules in the membrane, plant tissue in sucrose solutions, endocytosis, surface area to volume in agar blocks.
• The mitotic cell cycle (3): stem cells and ageing, drugs that stop spindle formation, ordering the stages of mitosis.
• Nucleic acids and protein synthesis (4): nucleotide-like antiviral drugs, DNA ligase and replication, removing introns, which mutations always change a polypeptide.
• Transport in plants (3): a plan diagram of a dicotyledonous stem, a structure in a leaf micrograph, how water moves in xylem.
• Transport in mammals (4): the pulmonary artery, the oxygen dissociation curve, carbon dioxide transport in red blood cells, the order chambers of the heart contract.
• Gas exchange (2): membranes crossed by oxygen from an alveolus, squamous epithelium.
• Infectious diseases (2): tuberculosis, antibiotic resistance.
• Immunity (2): the cells that make memory cells, natural passive immunity.

What came up in 9700 Paper 3 (Advanced Practical Skills)?

Paper 3 had two questions worth 40 marks.

Question	Task	What you had to do	Marks
1	The effect of boiling on vitamin C	Plan a serial dilution, titrate each concentration against DCPIP, estimate vitamin C in a vegetable extract before and after boiling, explain your results, then plot and interpret data on vitamin C tablets and blood concentration	22
2	Microscopy of a leaf	Draw a plan diagram of a leaf section, draw four cells of the epidermis and hypodermis, give three differences from a photomicrograph, calibrate an eyepiece graticule and measure a resin duct to two significant figures	18

What made it hard: Question 1(b)(iii) needed you to calculate a 50% increase on the starting blood concentration before reading the tablet mass from your graph.

What came up in 9700 Paper 5 (Planning, Analysis and Evaluation)?

Paper 5 had two questions worth 30 marks.

Question	Topic	Marks
1	Catalase in ripening avocados: a hazard, risk and precaution, the independent variable, a 7-mark method using hydrogen peroxide, random sampling, humidity in cold storage, calculating and plotting 95% confidence intervals, conclusions with evidence, why a t-test was not suitable	20
2	A butterfly survey using a modified belt transect: identifying species, standardised variables, limitations, urban against rural diversity, a percentage increase to three significant figures	10

Watch for: Question 1(c)(v) asked for conclusions and the evidence. Error bars that overlap mean the difference may not be significant, and the scheme credited saying so.

How the 9700 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks

The 9700 schemes list marking points separated by semicolons, with A (accept), R (reject) and I (ignore) notes. AW means alternative wording, ora means “or reverse argument”, AVP means “alternative valid point” and bod means benefit of the doubt.

1. Long answers are “any n from” a list. Paper 4 Question 8(b) gave 7 marks from twelve points, including the posterior pituitary, ADH binding to receptors on collecting duct cells, cAMP as a second messenger, vesicles with aquaporins fusing with the membrane, and water moving by osmosis. Aim for one precise point per mark.

2. Some words must be spelled correctly. Paper 2 Question 4(d)(i) needed “human immunodeficiency virus” spelled correctly. In Question 1(a), misspellings of nucleus were rejected. The general rule is that a spelling must not be confused with another syllabus term.

3. The exact term matters. “Polypeptide bond” was rejected for peptide bond in Paper 2 Question 2(f)(i). In Paper 4 Question 9(c), “pyruvate is dehydrogenated” was rejected, because pyruvate is reduced by reduced NAD.

4. Calculations have tolerances and rounding rules. Paper 2 Question 1(b)(ii) accepted 152 to 186 nm, but only as a whole number; a correct value not rounded scored 1 of 2. Paper 5 Question 2(c) rejected any answer not given to three significant figures, and a correct answer with no working scored only 1 of 2.

5. Genetic diagrams are marked in parts. Paper 4 Question 5(a) gave separate marks for the parental genotypes, the gametes, the offspring genotypes and phenotypes matched to sex. If the male parent’s genotype was wrong, you could still get 1 mark through ecf.

6. Paper 5 methods need detail someone else could follow. Question 1(b)(ii) gave 1 mark for using five stages of ripeness, then up to six from a list: pieces of the same stated dimensions, the same avocado variety, a water bath for temperature, the same volume and concentration of hydrogen peroxide, a gas syringe or inverted measuring cylinder for oxygen, a fixed time and three repeats. “Count bubbles” on its own was ignored.

7. Practical drawings and tables follow fixed rules. On Paper 3, the plan diagram scored for no shading, no individual cells drawn and a ruled label line. The cell drawing needed only four cells with sharp, continuous lines. Table headings needed units in the heading and none in the body, with volumes to 0.01 cm³.

8. Read the graph instruction. Paper 3 Question 1(b)(i) gave the fourth mark for points joined with a thin line through all points, not a line of best fit.

Which papers should you sit?

• AS Level: Papers 1, 2 and 3.
• Full A Level: Papers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

All questions on every 9700 paper are compulsory. Paper 5 uses the same practical skills as Paper 3, such as variables, repeats and data handling, but on paper.

How to use the 2026 papers as a mock

1. Keep them for last. Use older 9700 papers for topic practice and save May/June 2026 for a timed mock close to your exam.
2. Time Paper 1 strictly. Forty questions in 75 minutes leaves under two minutes each. Note any data question that slowed you down.
3. Turn long answers into point lists. For Paper 4 Questions 4(c) and 8(b), write one point per line, then match each line to the scheme.
4. Practise the maths separately. Redo every calculation from the five papers, from the T-phage length to the confidence intervals, and check your rounding.
5. Write the Paper 5 method as a numbered plan. Then tick it against the scheme’s list of points and add anything you missed.

More A Level Biology resources

• Cambridge A Level Biology past papers (9700, all years)
• A Level past papers 2026: all subjects

🔍 Looking for a specific past paper? Use our free Past Paper Finder to search by subject, year and exam board.

Need help with a 9700 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an A Level Biology tutor →

Frequently asked questions

Are the 9700 May/June 2026 past papers free? +

Yes. All five question papers (9700/12, 9700/22, 9700/32, 9700/42 and 9700/52) and their official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

What topics came up in 9700 Paper 4 May/June 2026? +

Paper 4 (9700/42) had ten questions: the motor neurone and action potentials, gibberellin in barley seeds, speciation in tree-frogs, GM crops, sex-linked feather colour in pigeons, ATP use in brain neurones and caffeine, classifying a damselfly, the kidney and ADH, respiration and hexokinase deficiency, and chloroplasts with chromatography.

What came up in 9700 Paper 2 May/June 2026? +

Paper 2 (9700/22) had six questions on bacteriophages and E. coli, collagen in the gas exchange system, methyl jasmonate and salt stress in a crop, monoclonal antibodies and HIV, the double circulation and water as a transport medium, and the effect of pH and temperature on lactate dehydrogenase.

How is the 7-mark ADH question on 9700 Paper 4 marked? +

It is points-based. The mark scheme lists twelve creditable points, such as release from the posterior pituitary, binding to receptors on collecting duct cells, cAMP, aquaporins moving into the membrane and water leaving by osmosis. Any seven correct points score full marks.

Why can't I find 9700/41 or 9700/43 for 2026? +

Only variant 2 of the May/June 2026 papers is on the portal at the moment. Cambridge sets different variants for different time zones; variants 1 and 3 test the same syllabus in the same format, so variant 2 prepares you just as well.

When will the October/November 2026 9700 papers be available? +

Cambridge usually releases the October/November papers in the new year. We add them to the Learning Portal once they are published.

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