VCAA Biology Performance

Overall average 72.1%61,376 questions answered2026 data

Score by Unit & Topic

Full study design

How do cells maintain life?

71.1%
What is the role of nucleic acids and proteins in maintaining life?
71.8%
How are biochemical pathways regulated?
70.1%

How does life change and respond to challenges?

72.8%
How do organisms respond to pathogens?
72.5%
How are species related over time?
72.2%
How is scientific inquiry used to investigate cellular processes and/or biological change?
74.4%

Score by Past Paper

2026 data

2025
72.8%
2024
71.3%
2023
72.7%
2022
72.1%
2021
68.9%
2020
75.7%

Score by Question Type

2026 data

Extended Response
47.5%
Multiple Choice
72.5%
Short Answer
71.4%

Cognitive Verb Performance

2026 data

Analyse
84%
Annotate
83.3%
Assess
61.2%
Calculate
40.4%
Compare
66.1%
Construct
76.1%
Contrast
64.5%
Define
81.1%
Describe
69.7%
Design
70.7%
Determine
63.6%
Discuss
84.2%
Draw
55.6%
Evaluate
65.8%
Explain
69.7%
Identify
74.2%
Infer
94.1%
Justify
73.3%
Label
69.5%
Name
74.1%
Outline
69.9%
Predict
33.3%
Present
53.2%
Propose
89.9%
Provide
53.4%
Recommend
100%
Select
88.2%
Sketch
100%
State
79.9%
Write
25%

Study Guides

VCE Biology Hardest Topics: Where Students Lose the Most MarksAverage scores in VCE Biology by past paper, topic, question type and command verb, plus the high-weight low-score revision list.VCE Biology Most Tested Topics: What the VCAA Exams CoverMarks by topic and dot point across 7 VCAA Biology external papers, 2020 to 2025, plus the question type and cognitive verb mix.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hardest VCAA Biology topics?
Based on student performance on AusGrader in 2026, the hardest VCAA Biology topics are How are biochemical pathways regulated? (70.1%), What is the role of nucleic acids and proteins in maintaining life? (71.8%), How are species related over time? (72.2%). Focus your revision on these areas for the biggest score improvement.
What are the easiest VCAA Biology topics?
Based on student performance on AusGrader in 2026, the highest-scoring VCAA Biology topics are How is scientific inquiry used to investigate cellular processes and/or biological change? (74.4%), How do organisms respond to pathogens? (72.5%), How are species related over time? (72.2%).
What are the most common command words in VCAA Biology exams?
The most frequently tested command words in VCAA Biology are Explain, Describe, Identify, State, Outline. Practising responses to these verbs is a high-impact study strategy.

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