Required Practicals

AQA GCSE Biology has 10 required practicals that you must know in detail. Questions on required practicals appear on every exam paper and can be worth significant marks. You need to know the method, variables, expected results, potential sources of error, and how to improve accuracy and reliability for each one.

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Why Required Practicals Matter

• AQA must assess required practicals in the written exams — they will appear.
• Questions may ask you to describe the method, identify variables, explain results, suggest improvements, or evaluate the experiment.
• At least 15% of the total marks across both papers are allocated to practical-based questions.
• You do not need to have physically carried out every practical, but you need to write about them as if you have.

Exam Tip: When answering required practical questions, always use precise scientific vocabulary. Say "independent variable" not "the thing I changed". Say "repeat the experiment three times and calculate a mean" not "do it again to make sure".

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Required Practical 1: Microscopy

Specification reference: 4.1.1

Aim: Use a light microscope to observe, draw, and label a selection of plant and animal cells.

Method