British Biology Olympiad

19th to 28th January

Schools with an account can register at any time until the end of the competition

The British Biology Olympiad challenges and stimulates students with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talents. It enables students to demonstrate their talent and to be suitably rewarded with certificates.

All participating students will receive an e-certificate via their school and be eligible for BioNet membership of the Royal Society of Biology.

The following students are eligible to take part in the British Biology Olympiad:

Y12/Y13 in England and Wales
Y13/Y14 in Northern Ireland
S5/S6 in Scotland
Equivalent year groups in other countries

The competition consists of two, 45-minute multiple choice papers to be taken online while on-site at their registered school/college. The papers can be taken together or on separate occasions.

Instructions for conducting the competition can be found here.

Students will be presented with topics and ideas which they are not familiar with, so will compete with their problem solving skills and understanding of core principles.

In addition to encouraging and rewarding pupils in their studies, the BBO is the first stage in selecting a team to represent the UK at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). The IBO seeks to challenge by both theory and practical tests some of the top pre-university biology students in the world, with over sixty countries taking part.

The top-scoring students at schools in the UK will be invited to complete further practical and theoretical training and assessments in order to select a team to represent the UK at the IBO.

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, only recognised educational institutions may register students. 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

Past papers

Past papers are available. Answers are not provided at this time*.

We are continually developing ways to challenge students, and involving academics and researchers to cover cutting-edge biology, so the style of questions will vary a little over time. For more information about the skills assessed, see the FAQs below.

* Mark schemes are not provided as these papers do not resemble typical revision aids. Each topic is bespoke to a particular year. Students can use the papers as inspiration and should complete their own research to enhance their understanding. We also provide the papers here to ensure all students have access to them.