Intermediate Biology Olympiad

5th to 19th June

Registration will open on 17th April 2026.

Schools will need login to their UKBC account in order to register for the competition. If you do not have an account, you can sign up from the login page.

The competition is open to students studying at recognised educational institutions in the first year of post-16 education:

Y12 in England and Wales
Y13 in Northern Ireland
S5 in Scotland
equivalent year groups worldwide.

The 2026 competition consists of two 35 minute papers to be taken online. Questions are set on topics students are likely to have covered at GCSE and in their first year of A level. Some additional ideas will be introduced requiring their problem solving skills and understanding of core principals.

Students who take part in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad are encouraged to reference their participation in their higher education applications.

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 new 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 FAQ 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.