Olympiad Vault track
Biology
Organised by: UK Biology Competitions (UKBC), with the Royal Society of Biology — www.ukbiologycompetitions.org
This track is authored and taught by a vetted specialist tutor (enhanced DBS checked, sample lessons and marking vetted before they teach), recruited and quality controlled by the founder. The founder does not claim expertise in this subject, and this page does not pretend otherwise.
Competitions covered
Biology Challenge (gateway, Years 9 and 10); Intermediate Biology Olympiad (Year 12); British Biology Olympiad (BBO); the IBO pathway.
Who can enter
Biology Challenge Years 9 and 10; Intermediate first year of post-16 study; BBO mainly Years 12 and 13.
Usual timing
BBO usually runs in a January window; Biology Challenge usually in spring (April to May); Intermediate Biology Olympiad usually in June.
Levels in this track
Three levels, one route map
Foundation
Biology Challenge standard: cells, systems, ecology and data questions, all online-paper style.
Challenge
Intermediate standard: genetics, physiology and experimental design across two timed online papers.
Olympiad
BBO preparation: university-level breadth, graph and data interpretation, and the stamina for two 45-minute papers.