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GCSE timetable 2026: exam dates, contingency day and results day
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Sources: JCQ key dates, June 2026 and each board's own timetable (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, CCEA, WJEC), read on 11 November 2026.
GCSE timetable 2026: what stands out
Looking back at 2026, the series had two bursts. Five papers in these subjects fell between Tuesday 12 May and Tuesday 19 May: Biology, Computer Science, Maths, then Chemistry and Computer Science again. After that came the longest quiet spell, 14 days from Tuesday 19 May to Tuesday 2 June, before Physics, Maths, Biology and Chemistry papers took over June.
AQA, Edexcel and OCR matched each other date for date and session for session in all six subject groups. CCEA and WJEC did not. CCEA sat its Biology, Chemistry and Physics practical theory units in June, as late as Monday 22 June, and WJEC's Made for Wales Maths and Numeracy opened the Maths run on Tuesday 12 May.
GCSE key dates 2026
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Saturday 21 February 2026 | Deadline for entries |
| Thursday 7 May 2026 | First exam on the common timetable |
| Wednesday 17 June 2026 | Last exam on the common timetable |
| Wednesday 24 June 2026 | Contingency day |
| Wednesday 1 July 2026 | Special consideration deadline |
| Wednesday 19 August 2026 | Results to schools and colleges |
| Thursday 20 August 2026 | Results to students |
GCSE exam dates 2026 by subject
GCSE Maths exam dates 2026
| Date | Session | Paper | AQA | Edexcel | OCR | CCEA | WJEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 12 May | Morning | Unit 1 | None | None | None | None | Wales Unit 1 |
| Thu 14 May | Morning | Written (non-calculator) | 8300/1 | 1MA1 1 | J560/01, 04 | Unit 1 (F); Unit 2 (F); Unit 3 (H); Unit 4 (H) | Eduqas Component 1; Wales Unit 1 (F) |
| Wed 3 Jun | Morning | Written (calculator) | 8300/2 | 1MA1 2 | J560/02, 05 | Unit 5 Non-Calc (F); Unit 5 Calc (F); Unit 6 Non-Calc (F); Unit 6 Calc (F); Unit 7 Non-Calc (H); Unit 7 Calc (H); Unit 8 Non-Calc (H); Unit 8 Calc (H) | Eduqas Component 2 |
| Thu 4 Jun | Morning | Unit 2 | None | None | None | None | Wales Unit 2 |
| Wed 10 Jun | Morning | Written (calculator) | 8300/3 | 1MA1 3 | J560/03, 06 | None | Wales Unit 2 (F) |
GCSE Physics exam dates 2026
| Date | Session | Paper | AQA | Edexcel | OCR | CCEA | WJEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 22 May | Morning | Unit 1 | None | None | None | Unit 1 | Wales Unit 2 |
| Tue 2 Jun | Morning | Paper 1 | 8463/1 | 1PH0 1 | J249/01, 03; J259/01, 03 | None | None |
| Mon 15 Jun | Morning | Paper 2 | 8463/2 | 1PH0 2 | J249/02, 04; J259/02, 04 | Unit 2 | Wales Unit 1 |
| Mon 22 Jun | Morning | Unit 3 Practical Theory | None | None | None | Unit 3 Practical Theory | None |
GCSE Chemistry exam dates 2026
| Date | Session | Paper | AQA | Edexcel | OCR | CCEA | WJEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 18 May | Morning | Paper 1 | 8462/1 | 1CH0 1 | J248/01, 03; J258/01, 03 | Unit 1 | Wales Unit 2 |
| Fri 12 Jun | Morning | Paper 2 | 8462/2 | 1CH0 2 | J248/02, 04; J258/02, 04 | Unit 2 | Wales Unit 1 |
| Fri 19 Jun | Afternoon | Unit 3 Practical Theory | None | None | None | Unit 3 Practical Theory | None |
GCSE Biology exam dates 2026
| Date | Session | Paper | AQA | Edexcel | OCR | CCEA | WJEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 12 May | Afternoon | Paper 1 | 8461/1 | 1BI0 1 | J247/01, 03; J257/01, 03 | Unit 1 | Wales Unit 2 |
| Mon 8 Jun | Morning | Paper 2 | 8461/2 | 1BI0 2 | J247/02, 04; J257/02, 04 | Unit 2 | Wales Unit 1 |
| Wed 17 Jun | Afternoon | Unit 3 Practical Theory | None | None | None | Unit 3 Practical Theory | None |
GCSE Combined Science exam dates 2026
| Date | Session | Paper | AQA | Edexcel | OCR | CCEA | WJEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 12 May | Afternoon | Life and environmental sciences or Paper 1: Biology | 8465/1; 8464/B/1 | 1SC0 1B | J250/01, 07; J260/01, 05 | Double Award Biology Unit 1 | Wales Unit 4 |
| Mon 18 May | Morning | Paper 1: Chemistry | 8464/C/1 | 1SC0 1C | J250/03, 09; J260/02, 06 | Double Award Chemistry Unit 1 | Wales Unit 5 |
| Fri 22 May | Morning | Physics Unit 1 | None | None | None | Double Award Physics Unit 1 | Wales Unit 6 |
| Tue 2 Jun | Morning | Life and environmental sciences or Paper 1: Physics | 8465/2; 8464/P/1 | 1SC0 1P | J250/05, 11; J260/03, 07 | None | None |
| Mon 8 Jun | Morning | Physical sciences or Paper 2: Biology | 8465/3; 8464/B/2 | 1SC0 2B | J250/02, 08; J260/04, 08 | Double Award Biology Unit 2; Double Award Biology Practical Theory | Wales Unit 1 |
| Fri 12 Jun | Morning | Physical sciences or Paper 2: Chemistry | 8465/4; 8464/C/2 | 1SC0 2C | J250/04, 10 | Double Award Chemistry Unit 2; Double Award Chemistry Practical Theory | Wales Unit 2 |
| Mon 15 Jun | Morning | Paper 2: Physics | 8464/P/2 | 1SC0 2P | J250/06, 12 | Double Award Physics Unit 2; Double Award Physics Practical Theory | Wales Unit 3 |
GCSE Computer Science (CCEA Digital Technology) exam dates 2026
| Date | Session | Paper | AQA | Edexcel | OCR | CCEA | WJEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 13 May | Afternoon | Computational thinking and programming skills (C#) or Computational thinking and programming skills (Python) | 8525/1A; 8525/1B; 8525/1C | 1CP2 01 | J277/01 | None | Eduqas Component 1; Wales Unit 1 |
| Mon 18 May | Afternoon | Unit 1 | None | None | None | Unit 1 | None |
| Tue 19 May | Afternoon | Computing concepts | 8525/2 | 1CP2 02 | J277/02 | None | Eduqas Component 2; Wales Unit 2 |
| Thu 21 May | Afternoon | Unit 1 | None | None | None | None | Wales Unit 1 |
| Tue 2 Jun | Morning | Unit 2 or Unit 4 | None | None | None | Unit 2; Unit 4 | None |
GCSE 2026: gaps between papers
| Subject | Papers | First paper | Last paper | Days apart | Total exam time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths | 3 | Thu 14 May | Wed 10 Jun | 27 | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Physics | 2 | Tue 2 Jun | Mon 15 Jun | 13 | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Chemistry | 2 | Mon 18 May | Fri 12 Jun | 25 | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Biology | 2 | Tue 12 May | Mon 8 Jun | 27 | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Combined Science (Trilogy) | 6 | Tue 12 May | Mon 15 Jun | 34 | 7 hours 30 minutes |
| Computer Science | 2 | Wed 13 May | Tue 19 May | 6 | 3 hours 45 minutes |
Common questions
Which weeks were busiest for GCSE sciences in 2026?
The week of 8 June had Biology Paper 2, and the week of 15 June had Physics Paper 2. Chemistry Paper 2 sat between them on 12 June.
Did GCSE exams end on 17 June 2026?
The common timetable did, but CCEA's Physics practical theory unit was sat on 22 June and the contingency day was 24 June.
Revision cards
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