Required Practicals — Overview and Common Questions

The AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy specification (8464) includes 21 required practicals (8 Biology, 8 Chemistry, 5 Physics). Although you do not sit a separate practical exam, questions about these practicals appear on every paper and account for approximately 15% of the total marks. This lesson provides an overview of all 21 practicals and the types of questions you can expect.

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Why Required Practicals Matter

• At least 15% of marks (around 63 marks out of 420) are directly linked to practical skills.
• Questions may ask about the method, variables, results, evaluation or improvements.
• Even if you did not carry out a practical in class, you are still expected to know it for the exam.

Exam Tip: You do not need to memorise every practical word-for-word. Instead, focus on understanding the purpose, key variables, method summary, expected results and potential sources of error for each one.

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The 21 Required Practicals

Biology Required Practicals (Papers 1 and 2)