TCE Biology: TASC Level 3 and the five-section, 3-hour exam

Level 3, and what that means

Biology is offered by TASC at Level 3, unlike Chemistry and Physics, which are Level 4. A Level 3 course is a Discipline-based study course, and both Level 3 and Level 4 courses can count towards the ATAR. The course has criteria numbered 1 to 8, and the exam assesses criteria 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

How the exam works

The specification calls for one three-hour written exam, with 15 minutes of preparation time, and five booklets: one per criterion. Each section is worth 36 marks and should take about 36 minutes, with four to six compulsory questions, mostly in parts arranged in order of difficulty. You may use the Biology Information Sheet and a TASC-approved calculator.

Section A tests the practical skills behind Criterion 3, including formulating a hypothesis (worth 3 marks) and designing a controlled experiment, and the context is drawn from the other four areas. It does not include the laboratory safety element.

A calculation and a reasoning example

Rate of an enzyme reaction

A catalase experiment collects 12 mL of oxygen in 4.0 minutes, so the mean rate is 12 ÷ 4.0 = 3.0 mL min⁻¹. State the units, and say what you would keep constant (temperature, substrate concentration, volume) if the question asks for a fair test.

Chromosome numbers in meiosis

A human body cell has 46 chromosomes. After meiosis I there are two cells with 23 chromosomes, each still made of two chromatids. After meiosis II there are four cells, each with 23 single chromosomes. Linking numbers to the reduction division is how you explain why gametes keep the species number constant at fertilisation.

Check inheritance reasoning in the Genetics and DNA course, then press Mark:

Awards

TASC uses 13 ratings for Biology: 8 internal and 5 external. Minimum requirements for each award are:

TASC's student FAQs say the largest part of the overall award comes from internal assessment. Results are released on Wednesday 16 December 2026.

ATAR

The ATAR uses your best Level 3 and Level 4 results over two years. Eligibility needs the TCE and at least Satisfactory Achievement in four TASC Level 3 or 4 courses or equivalent, which can include Biology.

Dates

Use the daily paper as a trial

Providers set their own trial exams; TASC publishes past papers on the course page. The free daily paper on the Year 12 Biology track is a short timed trial: 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, marked as you go. It is not a TASC exam.

• It fits: respiration and photosynthesis, gene expression, inheritance, evolution, nervous coordination and homeostasis days.
• It does not fit: immune responses (Section D) are not a regular daily topic, and muscle contraction, ecosystems and gene technology are not named in the specification.
• The Year 11 Biology paper helps with cell and enzyme basics.

Exam answers

Answers and a worked mark scheme come with each daily paper once it has been marked. They are Uni-Sine's own, not TASC solutions.

Mistakes in TCE Biology

• Giving a rate with no units, or a hypothesis with no direction of change.
• Describing innate and adaptive immunity as the same thing.
• Saying cells in meiosis II "halve" their chromosomes again.
• Ignoring the order of difficulty within a question and spending too long on the first part.

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