Master concepts and the IA in IB Biology SL/HL with 1:1 lessons
One-on-one IB Biology (SL / HL) tutoring programme. In a free initial consultation we assess your level and agree the plan and the exact price together. Parents and students are both welcome to reach out.
What is the IB Biology (SL / HL) exam?
IB Biology is a subject in the experimental sciences group of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, offered at Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). The course covers a broad range of topics from cell biology to genetics, ecology and human physiology, through both conceptual and laboratory-based work. SL and HL share the same core topics; HL treats them in greater depth and adds further content.
Diploma candidates choose at least one subject from the experimental sciences group, and biology is a common choice for students aiming at medicine, dentistry, biology or health sciences. These programs often expect HL. A strong biology grade is concrete evidence of both conceptual understanding and scientific research ability on an application file.
Why prepare for IB Biology (SL / HL) with Studrise?
Exam-focused expert tutors
Every lesson is taught by expert tutors who know the IB Biology (SL / HL) format inside out and focus on exam strategy.
A plan built around you
After your level assessment, we build a personal roadmap around your strengths and weak spots.
Flexible 1:1 schedule
Lessons run online and one-on-one on days and times that suit you — no clashes with school.
A clear start
It starts with a free initial consultation: level, plan and price are settled before the programme begins.
How it works
Free initial consultation
A short call and assessment to clarify your current level, your goal and your exam date.
Personal roadmap
We build a topic-by-topic weekly study plan and match you with the right tutor.
Reach your goal with 1:1 lessons
Start one-on-one lessons with your tutor and track progress with regular practice tests.
IB Biology (SL / HL) exam format
IB Biology assessment is made up of external exam papers and an Internal Assessment:
Paper 1
Multiple-choice questions and data-based analysis · different length at SL and HL
Paper 2
Short and extended-response questions · different length and weighting at SL and HL
Data and application questions
Interpreting experimental results and applying concepts to new situations
Internal Assessment
Individual experimental investigation report · about 20% of the total grade
IB Biology (SL / HL) topics
The topic areas on the exam and their weight. Lessons don't follow this order — we start from the area that will move your score the most.
A — Unity and diversity
Water, nucleic acids, cells, evolution, classification
- Properties of water and their importance for life
- DNA and RNA structure; HL: nucleosomes, Hershey–Chase
- Cell theory, prokaryotes–eukaryotes, organelles, microscopy
- Evidence for evolution and speciation; HL: cladistics
- Classification, biodiversity and conservation
B — Form and function
Molecules, membranes, organisms, ecosystems
- Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins; HL: levels of protein structure
- Membrane structure and transport, osmosis
- Gas exchange, transport, muscle and movement; HL: adaptations
- Transport and reproduction in plants; HL: xylem–phloem
- Food chains, energy flow, the carbon cycle
C — Interaction and interdependence
Enzymes, respiration, photosynthesis, signalling, homeostasis
- Enzymes and metabolism; HL: types of inhibition, metabolic pathways
- Cellular respiration; HL: glycolysis, Krebs, electron transport
- Photosynthesis; HL: light reactions, the Calvin cycle
- Nerve impulses, hormones; HL: synapses and neurotransmitters
- Homeostasis, immunity, population interactions and communities
D — Continuity and change
Replication, gene expression, inheritance, ecology
- DNA replication, transcription, translation; HL: gene regulation, epigenetics
- Cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis; HL: non-Mendelian inheritance, chi-square
- Inheritance, pedigrees, genetic diseases
- Natural selection; HL: Hardy–Weinberg, artificial selection
- Ecological succession, climate change and biomes
IB Biology (SL / HL) question types and strategy
Each question type has its own approach. In lessons we work on these strategies alongside the content.
Paper 1A and 1B — multiple choice + data
Paper 1A: SL 30 / HL 40 multiple choice. Paper 1B: data-based questions on experimental data. Together SL 90 min, HL 120 min; the biology data booklet and a calculator are allowed.
About 1.5 minutes a question in 1A; eliminate options by magnitude. In 1B, uncertainties, error bars and the physical meaning of a slope earn points; check units and significant figures in every answer.
Paper 2 — structured long-answer questions
SL 90 min / 50 marks, HL 150 min / 90 marks. Short-answer and extended structured questions mixing calculation, explanation, evaluation and experimental design.
Answer to the command term: "state" is a word, "explain" is cause and effect, "evaluate" is strengths and weaknesses. About 1.5 minutes per mark; read each question's mark allocation and size the answer to it.
Internal Assessment — the scientific investigation (20%)
One investigation report (about 3,000 words) on the student's own research question. Four criteria: research design, data analysis, conclusion, evaluation; six marks each, 24 in total.
Phrase the research question with independent and dependent variables and a measurable range; at least five data points with repeats. In the evaluation list errors with their effect and a fix. Finishing the IA by the end of year 1 leaves year 2 for the exams.
Scoring and target scores
IB Biology is graded on a 1–7 scale, where 7 is the highest. The subject grade combines the external exam papers with the lab-based Internal Assessment. Grades from six subjects, plus extra points from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, make up the total diploma score out of 45. A 6 or 7 is considered strong, and medicine and health science programs often expect a 6 or above in HL biology.
IB Biology is taught across the two-year Diploma Programme, and exams are held twice a year, in the May and November sessions. Because the course has a broad syllabus, steady and continuous work is the most effective approach. One-on-one lessons are especially useful for connecting concepts, breaking the wide content into manageable parts and planning the Internal Assessment from experiment design through to the report. Working through past papers before the exam consolidates the content.
What we cover in IB Biology (SL / HL) lessons
Cell biology and molecular biology
Genetics and genetic engineering
Ecology and evolution
Human physiology
Internal Assessment (IA) experiment design
Paper 1, 2 and 3 exam strategies
What sets the price of IB Biology (SL / HL) tutoring?
There is no single list price; the fee depends on the programme. You get a clear quote in the consultation — nothing is added later.
Lessons per week
One, two or three lessons a week — set by the time until the exam and the score gap.
Total duration and package
Lessons are priced as a package; longer programmes lower the per-lesson cost.
Scope
One section (say, Math only) or the whole exam? A narrower scope means a shorter programme.
Tutor and level
The tutor you're matched with and your starting level shape the plan, and therefore the fee.
Adding coaching?
Coaching and application counselling is an optional, separately priced programme.
Every lesson you pay for is 1:1
No crowded classroom, no idle hours. Keep that in mind when comparing with group-course prices.
In the free initial consultation we assess your level, draw up the plan and give you the exact price. No surprises.
The new IB Biology (2025): four themes, four levels
Content now sits in a theme-by-scale matrix: molecules, cells, organisms, ecosystems.
The new IB Biology syllabus was first examined in May 2025. Content sits in four themes (A unity and diversity, B form and function, C interaction and interdependence, D continuity and change), each spanning four levels (molecules, cells, organisms, ecosystems). The old options (neurobiology, biotechnology, ecology, human physiology) were folded into the themes or became HL additional content.
| Component | SL | HL | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1A multiple choice + 1B data-based | 90 min · 55 marks | 120 min · 75 marks | 36% |
| Paper 2 short and extended structured | 90 min · 50 marks | 150 min · 80 marks | 44% |
| IA scientific investigation | 24 marks | 24 marks | 20% |
The extended questions in Paper 2 are explanatory essays in biology (for example "explain the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis") and are marked point by point. In recent years 10–13% of HL and 7–9% of SL candidates scored a 7.
- Who should take HL: medicine, dentistry, veterinary, biology, biochemistry and biomedical-science applicants; UK medical schools often require Biology HL alongside Chemistry HL.
- SL suits: psychology, environmental sciences, nutrition and social-science applicants completing the science group.
- For Turkish students: school biology gives a strong base in terminology and scope; what is missing is English terminology, data-based interpretation (1B) and point-by-point writing to command terms.
For the other sciences see IB Chemistry and IB Physics.
A two-year IB Biology support plan
Themes in step with school; point-by-point writing and data interpretation every week.
- Year 1, September–January: Themes A and B. Cells, molecules, membranes, the organism level; English terminology cards and one short Paper 2 question every lesson. Graph interpretation and statistics basics (mean, standard deviation, t-test) in the first months.
- Year 1, February–June: Theme C + IA. Enzymes, respiration, photosynthesis; IA question in February (for example enzyme activity versus pH, osmosis versus concentration), data March–April, report in June.
- Year 2, September–December: Theme D and HL additional content. Gene expression, inheritance, chi-square and Hardy–Weinberg, ecology; Krebs–electron transport, the Calvin cycle and synapses at HL. One full set before the school mocks.
- Year 2, January–April: one timed paper a week, extended answers marked point by point with the markscheme, 1B data sets, error log.
- May: exam-week routine.
One or two lessons a week is enough; for exam-only support, a four-month past-paper programme from January is a realistic route to one band higher.
Round out your IB Biology (SL / HL) prep with coaching
Tutoring teaches the material; coaching manages the process. Your Studrise coach brings your study routine, goals and application timeline into one plan alongside your IB Biology (SL / HL) lessons — so what you learn in class turns into results.
Weekly plan & check-ins
A study plan with regular progress check-ins.
Data-driven strategy
Targets and plans updated from practice-test results.
Motivation & test anxiety
Support with time management, motivation and exam nerves.
Aligned with applications
Planning built around your university and program goals.
ADD-ON PROGRAMME
How do I get started?
Coaching is a separately priced programme alongside your lessons. In the initial consultation we agree its scope and price and build a coaching plan that fits around your lesson schedule.
Initial consultation is free
Our tutors
SAT, IELTS, AP, IB and more — you'll work with experienced, exam-focused tutors in every subject.
Addison Bunch
English Teacher
10+ years of experience
Burçak Gökmen
Biology Teacher
20+ years of experience
Buğra Gökmen
Computer Science Teacher
7+ years of experience
Ela Pehlivanoğlu
Chemistry Teacher
10+ years of experience
Gözde Top
History Teacher
6+ years of experience
Lara Deniz Alper
Math & Economics Teacher
7+ years of experience
Mesut Mızrak
Physics Teacher
26+ years of experience
Şule Çağlın
Physics Teacher
7+ years of experience
Frequently asked questions
Start working toward your IB Biology (SL / HL) goal today
Fill in the form; in a free initial consultation we settle your level, programme and exact price together. No crowded classroom, no idle hours: every lesson you pay for is one-on-one.