Biology Challenge is open to students studying at recognised educational institutions in the following year groups:

Y9/Y10 in England and Wales
Y10/Y11 in Northern Ireland
S2/S3 in Scotland, and
equivalent year groups worldwide.

All our competitions must be conducted under direct supervision. Remote supervision is NOT acceptable and will result in disqualification of the student(s) as well as suspension of the account holder.

Schools need to have an account with us in order to participate. Please complete the form on the login page. Instructions for participation can be found here.

All our papers are set by a small team of volunteers. Our competitions are intended to support enrichment of the biology curriculum in schools and colleges.

Therefore, students must be entered by the school which they attend on a full time basis. These include:

State-funded or independent schools
Further Education colleges
International schools recognised by their national education authority

The following may not register candidates or act as examination centres:

Private tutoring companies
Online-only tuition providers
Individuals acting independently of a school or recognised educational institution

The competition consists of two, twenty-five-minute multiple choice papers to be taken online under staff supervised exam conditions.

Questions will be set on the school curriculum, but the competition will also reward those students whose knowledge of the subject has been increased by reading books and magazines, watching natural history programmes, taking notice of the news media for items of biological interest, and are generally aware of our natural flora and fauna.

As well as being able to submit their pupils’ scores to the national competition, schools will be encouraged to award their own prizes and to make use of e-certificates provided for them.