UK examsGCSE
CCEA GCSE timetable 2026: exam dates for Maths, the sciences and Digital Technology
GCSE Maths Higher
Start today's paperGCSE Physics Higher
Start today's paperGCSE Chemistry Higher
Start today's paperGCSE Biology Higher
Start today's paperGCSE Combined Science Higher
Start today's paperGCSE Computer Science
Start today's paperPapers reset in
Source: CCEA: Final GCSE Timetable, Summer 2026, read on 11 November 2026.
Notes on the CCEA GCSE 2026 timetable
CCEA writes papers as units. Maths is eight units: 1 and 2 for Foundation and 3 and 4 for Higher on Thursday 14 May, then 5 and 6 for Foundation and 7 and 8 for Higher on Wednesday 3 June, each of those split into non-calculator and calculator parts. Science has a unit 3 Practical Theory in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which sits in June, apart from the main papers.
CCEA has no GCSE called Computer Science in this timetable, so those rows are GCSE Digital Technology units. Double Award Science, CCEA's version of Combined Science, uses separate GDW codes with shorter papers.
CCEA GCSE exam dates 2026 by subject
CCEA GCSE Maths exam dates 2026
| Paper | Code | Tier | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | GMC11 | Foundation | Thu 14 May | Morning | 1h 45m |
| Unit 2 | GMC21 | Foundation | Thu 14 May | Morning | 1h 45m |
| Unit 3 | GMC31 | Higher | Thu 14 May | Morning | 2h |
| Unit 4 | GMC41 | Higher | Thu 14 May | Morning | 2h |
| Unit 5 Non-Calc | GMC51 | Foundation | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h |
| Unit 5 Calc | GMC52 | Foundation | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h |
| Unit 6 Non-Calc | GMC61 | Foundation | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h |
| Unit 6 Calc | GMC62 | Foundation | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h |
| Unit 7 Non-Calc | GMC71 | Higher | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
| Unit 7 Calc | GMC72 | Higher | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
| Unit 8 Non-Calc | GMC81 | Higher | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
| Unit 8 Calc | GMC82 | Higher | Wed 3 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
CCEA GCSE Physics exam dates 2026
| Paper | Code | Tier | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | GPY11, GPY12 | Foundation and Higher | Fri 22 May | Morning | 1h 15m to 1h 30m |
| Unit 2 | GPY21, GPY22 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 15 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m to 1h 30m |
| Unit 3 Practical Theory | GPY32, GPY34 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 22 Jun | Morning | 1h to 1h 15m |
CCEA GCSE Chemistry exam dates 2026
| Paper | Code | Tier | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | GCM11, GCM12 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 18 May | Morning | 1h to 1h 15m |
| Unit 2 | GCM21, GCM22 | Foundation and Higher | Fri 12 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m to 1h 30m |
| Unit 3 Practical Theory | GCM32, GCM34 | Foundation and Higher | Fri 19 Jun | Afternoon | 1h |
CCEA GCSE Biology exam dates 2026
| Paper | Code | Tier | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | GBL11, GBL12 | Foundation and Higher | Tue 12 May | Afternoon | 1h 15m |
| Unit 2 | GBL21, GBL22 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 8 Jun | Morning | 1h 30m |
| Unit 3 Practical Theory | GBL32, GBL34 | Foundation and Higher | Wed 17 Jun | Afternoon | 1h |
CCEA GCSE Combined Science exam dates 2026
| Paper | Code | Tier | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology Unit 1 | GDW11, GDW12 | Foundation and Higher | Tue 12 May | Afternoon | 1h |
| Chemistry Unit 1 | GDW21, GDW22 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 18 May | Morning | 1h |
| Physics Unit 1 | GDW31, GDW32 | Foundation and Higher | Fri 22 May | Morning | 1h |
| Biology Unit 2 | GDW41, GDW42 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 8 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
| Biology Practical Theory | GDW72, GDW76 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 8 Jun | Morning | 30m |
| Chemistry Unit 2 | GDW51, GDW52 | Foundation and Higher | Fri 12 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
| Chemistry Practical Theory | GDW73, GDW77 | Foundation and Higher | Fri 12 Jun | Morning | 30m |
| Physics Unit 2 | GDW61, GDW62 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 15 Jun | Morning | 1h 15m |
| Physics Practical Theory | GDW74, GDW78 | Foundation and Higher | Mon 15 Jun | Morning | 30m |
CCEA GCSE Digital Technology exam dates 2026
| Paper | Code | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | GDG11 | Mon 18 May | Afternoon | 1h |
| Unit 2 | GDG21 | Tue 2 Jun | Morning | 1h 30m |
| Unit 4 | GDG41 | Tue 2 Jun | Morning | 1h 30m |
CCEA GCSE 2026: key dates
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 7 May 2026 | First exam on the common timetable | JCQ |
| Wednesday 17 June 2026 | Last exam on the common timetable | JCQ |
| Wednesday 24 June 2026 | Contingency day | JCQ |
| Wednesday 19 August 2026 | Results to schools and colleges | JCQ |
| Thursday 20 August 2026 | Results to students | JCQ |
| Wednesday 1 July 2026 | Special consideration deadline | JCQ |
CCEA GCSE 2026: gaps between papers
| Specification | Papers | First paper | Last paper | Days apart | Total exam time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 | Thu 14 May | Wed 3 Jun | 20 | 16 hours 30 minutes |
| Physics | 3 | Fri 22 May | Mon 22 Jun | 31 | 4 hours 15 minutes |
| Chemistry | 3 | Mon 18 May | Fri 19 Jun | 32 | 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Biology | 3 | Tue 12 May | Wed 17 Jun | 36 | 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Double Award Science | 9 | Tue 12 May | Mon 15 Jun | 34 | 8 hours 15 minutes |
| Digital Technology | 3 | Mon 18 May | Tue 2 Jun | 15 | 4 hours |
Common questions
What time do CCEA GCSE exams start?
9.15am for mornings and 1.30pm for afternoons, according to CCEA's timetable.
What is CCEA Practical Theory?
A one-hour (or 1h 15m) written unit on practical work, sat after Units 1 and 2 in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Revision cards
Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.
Also see the CCEA GCSE timetable 2027 and the GCSE timetable 2026 for every board.
Where to go next
- Solve it
Mean, Median and Mode Calculator
Find averages, range and quartiles from raw or grouped data
Open the tool - Learn it
Algebra
Master equations, inequalities and the language of abstract mathematics
Start the course - Test it
GCSE Maths Higher
A new exam-style paper every day, with instant marking and a mark scheme
Start today's paper
Read next
UK · GCSECCEA GCSE timetable 2027: every paper and dateCCEA GCSE timetable 2027: every Maths, Science and Digital Technology paper with date, session and length, plus contingency and results days.