The best apps and tools for A-level biology revision
Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar, PhD · updated 4 October 2026
There is no single best A-level biology revision app, because revising biology is four different jobs and no tool does all four equally well. Biology has the most content of the sciences, so remembering matters more here, but understanding the processes is what lets the content stay in your head.
Students stuck in biology usually have the content in their notes and cannot get it out in the exam, either because they have only re-read it or because they use everyday wording where the mark scheme wants the exact term. The fix is retrieval practice, then exam questions marked against the scheme.
Job 1: understanding the processes
Learn biology as chains of cause and effect, not as lists. If you can explain why each step follows from the last, the facts become much easier to keep.
- Seneca has free A-level biology courses by exam board, with questions and progress tracking.
- Free Science Lessons on YouTube gives clear free explanations of most of the specification.
- Cognito and SnapRevise explain topics in short chunks with quizzes afterwards.
- Trayna teaches each topic in a short video tutorial from Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar, then has you answer questions on it straight away.
Job 2: remembering the content
Biology has more to retain than any other A-level science: processes, structures, named enzymes and hormones, definitions. Retrieve it from memory at increasing gaps, which is called spaced repetition.
- Anki and Brainscape are spaced-repetition flashcard apps, and many students share decks by exam board.
- Quizlet is good for quick tests of terms and definitions, with looser scheduling.
- StudySmarter combines flashcards, quizzes and a planner, and lets you upload your own notes.
- Trayna schedules the recall for you: topics you have learned come back at spaced intervals without you building a deck.
Job 3: practising questions and extended answers
Biology papers mix short recall with data questions and longer written answers. Practise all three, and for extended answers write them in full rather than outlining.
- Physics & Maths Tutor (PMT) is free, with topic questions and past papers by exam board.
- Save My Exams has notes, topic questions, past papers and flashcards by exam board.
- Seneca includes questions after each section.
- Trayna marks questions against the mark-scheme wording and re-serves the ones you got wrong.
Job 4: learning what the mark scheme rewards
Biology mark schemes award specific terms. "The enzyme dies" scores nothing, while "the enzyme is denatured: the tertiary structure changes so the active site no longer fits the substrate" scores the marks, though both describe the same event.
Mark your answers against the official scheme, not against whether you followed the idea. Write down the exact term each time you lose a mark and add it to your recall, because the same terms come up in every paper.
A routine if your grade is stuck
Do not download six apps; that is another way to procrastinate. Pick one tool per job and run a short loop each day.
- 20 minutes: learn one small topic from a video or course.
- 20 minutes: close it and write down everything you remember, then answer exam questions on it.
- 5 to 10 minutes: mark against the mark scheme and write down every lost mark and the exact term you missed.
- Next day: five minutes of recall on yesterday, then the next topic.
Where Trayna fits, and where it does not
Trayna is a 24/7 online tutor in your pocket, on your tablet and on the web, for students who cannot afford 1-to-1 tutoring and want something that acts like it. Dr Lavan teaches you the topics in the app any time, anywhere, and an adaptive plan reinforces them each day from now to your exam. That covers the first three jobs, with the fourth built into how questions are marked. It is A-level only, for Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Biology, on iPad, phone and the web. Biology follows AQA.
It is for both Year 12 and Year 13. Year 13 students already use it, and Year 13 topics are being added as current students need them while Year 12 is the most complete, so check your topics in the app before you pay. If you only want free past papers, PMT does that better than we do, and we would rather you used it.
Common questions
What is the best app for A-level biology revision?
It depends on the job. Seneca, Free Science Lessons or Cognito are good for understanding, Anki or Brainscape for memorising, Physics & Maths Tutor and Save My Exams for questions, and Trayna for a single daily plan combining video tutorials, spaced recall and marked questions for A-level biology.
How do I revise A-level biology if I know the content but lose marks?
Check which exact terms the mark scheme uses and compare them with your wording. Biology awards specific terminology, so write each missed term down and add it to your recall, and practise full written answers marked against the scheme.
Are there free apps for A-level biology revision?
Yes. Physics & Maths Tutor, Seneca, Free Science Lessons and Anki are free. Trayna has a 14-day free trial, then costs from 9.99 pounds a month.
Is flashcard revision enough for biology?
Flashcards are good for the content, but they do not train extended written answers or data questions. Use them for recall alongside exam questions marked against the scheme.
Which exam board does Trayna biology follow?
AQA. If you sit a different board, check the topic list in the app first.
Trayna does this automatically. You enter your subjects, your exam dates and how long you have each day, and it builds the route from today to those exams, then adapts it as you go. Maths follows Edexcel; Chemistry, Physics and Biology follow AQA.
Get Trayna on the App Store · on Google Play
Free for 14 days, then from £9.99 a month. Cancel any time.