I’m **Caroline** Shepherd aka ‘Biosheps’ - a qualified teacher, online tutor and A-Level examiner. I’m passionate about boosting students confidence (and grades!) in A-level Biology. I specialise in OCR A-Level Biology exam technique to move students up a grade and help them get into their dream Uni.

Working hard but still stuck on a C in A-Level Biology—despite hours of revision?

We all know that student. They know the content. They’ve made the flashcards. They’ve done the past papers. And yet… the marks just don’t reflect their effort. It’s frustrating and demoralising - you start wondering…”am I just bad at Biology?” (spoiler: you’re not!)

Here’s the truth most parents aren’t told and what most students don’t realise until it’s too late:

OCR A-Level Biology isn’t just about knowing the content.
It’s about understanding exactly how to apply it—in the way the examiner wants.

That’s why working with an OCR A-Level Biology examiner isn’t just helpful.
It’s invaluable.

In this post, you’ll discover the 5 key reasons why learning from someone who marks the papers can make all the difference to your child’s grade—and confidence.

1. Exam Technique Is Half the Battle—and Most Students Are Never Taught It

Your child might know about protein synthesis or photosynthesis. They might have excellent ‘textbook knowledge’. But can they decode a six-mark question and give the examiner exactly what they’re looking for?

When I’m marking, I see this time and time again: a bright student with good knowledge writes a detailed answer, often using multiple extra pages. The science is correct, the terminology is excellent BUT…. they just haven’t answered the question. So they only get 2/6 marks…

Most schools focus on content. Learning it, understanding it and remembering it. Whilst this is obviously important, it’s only part of what contributes to an A* student. As an examiner, I focus on skills—the how, not just the what.

When students learn:

How marks are allocated (particularly for 6 mark questions!)
What command words really mean
How to structure answers to hit the mark scheme...
Which tricks and pitfalls to watch out for with maths and data analysis

…they stop losing marks for “saying the right thing in the wrong way.” And they start gaining the exam confidence that gets results.

2. I Can Spot the Hidden Traps and help students avoid them

POV: Completing an OCR A-Level Biology Paper…

OCR loves to include tricky phrasing, layered questions, and common distractors (aka red herrings!). If you’re not aware of these, they are easy traps to fall into which cost students valuable marks.

As an examiner, I know:

What types of mistakes most students make
How the questions are designed to test understanding (not just memory)
The phrases that signal and cue what the mark scheme wants

Your child gets insider insight—without guesswork or hundreds of hours of past paper practice. “I felt like I wrote the right answer, but I didn’t get the marks” becomes: “Now I know why I didn’t get the marks—and how to fix it.”

3. We Don’t Waste Time—We Focus on What Matters

There’s a lot of noise in A-Level Biology revision. Rewriting perfect study notes. Watching videos for this ‘one trick’ to help you get an A*. This study hack to make revision effortless.

The problem? These methods don’t help with application.

As an examiner, I cut through the overwhelm and help students:

Focus on high-impact topics that are regularly examined
Tackle the most frequently misunderstood concepts (that I see students lose marks on again and again)
Use active techniques that match the style of exam questions

This means less time revising, but more progress made. It really isn’t about doing more. It’s about making what you do highly effective.

4. Your Child Gets Feedback That Actually Moves Them Forward

Ok, I’ve got a real bee in my bonnet about this one…

Generic “add more detail” or “be more specific” comments don’t help students improve. So many students come to me, frustrated by vague advice from their teachers. They are repeatedly told to work on their exam technique or ‘do more past papers’ but are not given any specific strategies, tools or methods to actually do this.

It’s the equivalent of telling someone to heal from a broken leg by just resting it! In reality, you may need surgery or a cast, some physiotherapy and exercises to do and regular check ups to make sure you’re healing. Without clear, specific guidance, students waste time and become demoralised.

Examiner feedback is different.
It’s focused, specific, and tied directly to the mark scheme.

I show students:

Exactly why they lost a mark
What would have earned it
How to change their approach next time

This is how we create that magical shift from “I don’t get why I lost marks” to “I know what to do differently next time.”

5. Confidence Comes from strategy—Not Just Content & knowledge

When you can see the steps and pathway in front of you, it’s less daunting.

So many of the students I work with have lost confidence in their ability and it breaks my heart. They tell me they’re ‘not one of the smart kids’ or are just ‘bad at Biology’.

It’s not true at all. They’re bright, motivated and hard working young people with so much to offer the world. They’re just missing some direction and a plan. They need a toolkit of strategies to approach exam questions so that when they’re in an exam, they know exactly what to do.

And once they start:

Hitting marks consistently
Seeing patterns in questions
Feeling in control of the exam…

That’s when the panic fades and the confidence builds.

Examiner insight = clarity.
Clarity = confidence.
Confidence = better results.

It’s Not About Working Harder—It’s About Working Smarter

I really believe this. Working with an A-Level Biology examiner isn’t about drilling more content. It’s not about giving up your entire social life and becoming chained to your textbook. It’s about learning how the exam actually works—and how to play the game well. (Ok, bad analogy…I know it feels like your entire Uni career is hanging in the balance but believe me, there are teachable methods that can help!)

“At the start of year 13, I was struggling with the specificity required for Biology to get the marks. Caroline helps with exam technique and the terminology needed to be applied when answering exam questions. She is also great at making her sessions engaging with quizzes or explaining tricky content in a way that makes sense for students. I would recommend Caroline's tutoring to anyone looking for that extra bit of help.” - Isabel

🎯 Want expert support from someone who marks the papers?
I help students move from stuck and stressed to confident and successful—with the examiner insight that most schools don’t teach.

I’m opening my doors in September to 10 students for a new, targeted programme designed to push hardworking students up a grade in OCR A-Level Biology before Christmas. If you’d like to be the first to find out how to apply, send me a message with the word ‘BOOST’ and I’ll be in touch.

👉 Follow me on Instagram for tips, strategies and updates
📩 Or get in touch to find out how I can support your child this September