Biology · National 5
National 5 Biology runs from the inside of a cell out to whole ecosystems: how cells work and divide, how plants and animals coordinate, and how life on Earth is connected, evolved and farmed.
What it offers you
Biology leads to medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, genetics, ecology and marine biology — and gives you a working understanding of life that stays with you.
What National 5 actually asks of you
Section 1 — objective questions
Multiple choice and short response covering the whole course.
Section 2 — questions
Data-handling and extended-answer questions on cell biology, multicellular organisms and life on Earth, often based on experiments, graphs and unfamiliar examples.
Assignment — research a biology topic, carry out an experiment, and report your findings with an evaluation.
Exact timings and mark allocations are printed on the front cover of each paper below.
Topics that come up
Papers & marking schemes
2026
3 files2025
3 files2024
3 files2023
3 files2022
3 filesSQA publishes the most recent five years of papers. Older papers and specimen papers live on their site — open Biology National 5 on sqa.org.uk.