GCSE exam dates 2026: the complete timetable
GCSE exams in 2026 run from Monday 7 May to Thursday 18 June. Results day is Thursday 20 August 2026. Below you'll find every confirmed exam date for the most popular subjects, broken down by exam board, so you can plan your revision around the papers that matter to you.
Bookmark this page. We'll keep it updated if any dates change.
Results Day
20 August 2026
GCSE results are released on a Thursday in late August each year. In 2026, that's Thursday 20 August.
When do GCSEs start and finish in 2026?
The first GCSE exams in 2026 take place on Thursday 7 May (WJEC Maths Numeracy). The main exam window for most students begins on Monday 11 May and runs through to around Thursday 18 June. Your personal timetable depends on which subjects you take and which exam board your school uses.
Exams are split into morning sessions (usually starting at 9:00 am) and afternoon sessions (usually starting at 1:30 pm). You may have two exams on the same day if they fall in different sessions.
When are the GCSE Maths exams in 2026?
GCSE Maths has three papers for most exam boards. Paper 1 is non-calculator for AQA and Edexcel. All three papers are scheduled on mornings across May and June.
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 7 May | Morning | WJEC Maths Numeracy Unit 1 (Foundation, Intermediate, Higher) |
| Wednesday 14 May | Morning | AQA Maths Paper 1 Non-Calculator (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 14 May | Morning | Edexcel Maths Paper 1 Non-Calculator (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 14 May | Morning | Eduqas Maths Component 1 (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 14 May | Morning | OCR Maths Paper 1 Calculator (Foundation) / Paper 4 Calculator (Higher) |
| Wednesday 14 May | Morning | WJEC Maths Unit 1 (Foundation, Intermediate, Higher) |
| Wednesday 14 May | Morning | CCEA Maths Units 1 & 2 (Foundation) / Units 3 & 4 (Higher) |
| Wednesday 3 June | Morning | AQA Maths Paper 2 Calculator (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 3 June | Morning | Edexcel Maths Paper 2 Calculator (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 3 June | Morning | Eduqas Maths Component 2 (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 3 June | Morning | OCR Maths Paper 2 Non-Calculator (Foundation) / Paper 5 Calculator (Higher) |
| Wednesday 3 June | Morning | WJEC Maths Numeracy Unit 2 (Foundation, Intermediate, Higher) |
| Wednesday 3 June | Morning | CCEA Maths Units 5–8 (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 10 June | Morning | AQA Maths Paper 3 Calculator (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 10 June | Morning | Edexcel Maths Paper 3 Calculator (Foundation & Higher) |
| Wednesday 10 June | Morning | OCR Maths Paper 3 Calculator (Foundation) / Paper 6 Calculator (Higher) |
| Wednesday 10 June | Morning | WJEC Maths Unit 2 (Foundation, Intermediate, Higher) |
When are the GCSE English Language exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 7 May | Morning | CCEA English Language Unit 1 |
| Wednesday 21 May | Morning | AQA English Language Paper 1 |
| Wednesday 21 May | Morning | Edexcel English Language Paper 1 |
| Wednesday 21 May | Morning | Eduqas English Language Paper 1 |
| Wednesday 21 May | Morning | OCR English Language Paper 1 |
| Wednesday 21 May | Morning | WJEC English Language Unit 2 |
| Wednesday 21 May | Morning | CCEA English Language Unit 4 |
| Friday 5 June | Morning | AQA English Language Paper 2 |
| Friday 5 June | Morning | Edexcel English Language Paper 2 |
| Friday 5 June | Morning | Eduqas English Language Paper 2 |
| Friday 5 June | Morning | OCR English Language Paper 2 |
| Friday 5 June | Morning | WJEC English Language Unit 3 |
When are the GCSE English Literature exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 11 May | Morning | AQA English Literature Paper 1 |
| Monday 11 May | Morning | Edexcel English Literature Paper 1 |
| Monday 11 May | Morning | OCR English Literature Paper 1 |
| Monday 11 May | Morning | CCEA English Literature Paper 1 |
| Monday 11 May | Morning | Eduqas English Literature Paper 1 (Foundation & Higher) |
| Monday 11 May | Morning | WJEC English Literature Paper 1 (Foundation & Higher) |
| Tuesday 19 May | Morning | AQA English Literature Paper 2 |
| Tuesday 19 May | Morning | Edexcel English Literature Paper 2 |
| Tuesday 19 May | Morning | Eduqas English Literature Paper 2 |
| Tuesday 19 May | Morning | OCR English Literature Paper 2 |
| Tuesday 19 May | Morning | WJEC English Literature Unit 2 Option A & B (Foundation & Higher) |
| Thursday 28 May | Morning | CCEA English Literature Unit 2 |
When are the GCSE Science exams in 2026?
Science exams cover Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The dates below apply to both Combined Science and separate (Triple) Science students unless noted otherwise.
Biology
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 12 May | Afternoon | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, CCEA Biology Paper 1 (Combined & Single) |
| Tuesday 12 May | Afternoon | WJEC Biology Unit 2 |
| Monday 8 June | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, CCEA Biology Paper 2 (Combined & Single) |
| Monday 8 June | Morning | WJEC Biology Unit 1 |
| Monday 8 June | Morning | CCEA Biology Practical Theory (Combined) |
Chemistry
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 18 May | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR Chemistry Paper 1 (Combined & Single) |
| Monday 18 May | Morning | WJEC Chemistry Unit 2 |
| Monday 18 May | Morning | CCEA Chemistry Unit 1 (Foundation & Higher) |
| Friday 12 June | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR Chemistry Paper 2 (Combined & Single) |
| Friday 12 June | Morning | WJEC Chemistry Unit 1 |
| Friday 12 June | Morning | CCEA Chemistry Unit 2 (Combined & Single) + Practical Theory (Combined) |
| Friday 19 June | Afternoon | CCEA Chemistry Unit 3 Practical Theory |
Physics
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 22 May | Morning | WJEC Physics Unit 2 |
| Friday 22 May | Morning | CCEA Physics Unit 1 (Combined & Single) |
| Tuesday 2 June | Morning | AQA, Edexcel Physics Paper 1 (Combined & Single) |
| Tuesday 2 June | Morning | OCR Physics Paper 1 & 3 |
| Monday 15 June | Morning | AQA, Edexcel Physics Paper 2 (Combined & Single) |
| Monday 15 June | Morning | OCR Physics Paper 2 & 4 |
| Monday 15 June | Morning | WJEC Physics Unit 1 |
| Monday 15 June | Morning | CCEA Physics Unit 2 (Combined & Single) |
When are the GCSE History exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 15 May | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, CCEA History Paper 1 |
| Thursday 4 June | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, CCEA History Paper 2 |
| Tuesday 9 June | Afternoon | Edexcel, OCR, WJEC History Paper 3 |
When are the GCSE Geography exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 12 May | Morning | WJEC Geography Unit 1 |
| Wednesday 13 May | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA Geography Paper 1 |
| Wednesday 13 May | Afternoon | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas Computer Science Paper 1 |
| Thursday 26 May | Morning | CCEA Geography Paper 2 |
| Wednesday 3 June | Afternoon | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC Geography Paper 2 |
| Friday 5 June | Afternoon | CCEA Geography Paper 3 |
| Thursday 11 June | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas Geography Paper 3 |
When are the GCSE French exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 20 May | Morning | AQA French Listening & Reading |
| Wednesday 20 May | Morning | WJEC French Listening & Reading |
| Wednesday 20 May | Afternoon | CCEA French Listening |
| Thursday 4 June | Afternoon | AQA, WJEC French Writing |
| Thursday 4 June | Afternoon | Edexcel French Reading |
| Thursday 4 June | Afternoon | CCEA French Writing |
| Monday 8 June | Afternoon | Edexcel French Writing |
| Thursday 11 June | Afternoon | CCEA French Reading |
When are the GCSE Spanish exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 22 May | Afternoon | CCEA Spanish Listening |
| Friday 29 May | Afternoon | CCEA Spanish Writing |
| Tuesday 9 June | Morning | AQA, WJEC Spanish Listening & Reading |
| Tuesday 9 June | Morning | Edexcel Spanish Listening |
| Tuesday 9 June | Morning | CCEA Spanish Reading |
| Tuesday 16 June | Morning | AQA, WJEC Spanish Writing |
| Tuesday 16 June | Morning | Edexcel Spanish Reading |
| Wednesday 17 June | Morning | Edexcel Spanish Writing |
When are the GCSE Computer Science exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 13 May | Afternoon | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC Computer Science Paper 1 |
| Tuesday 19 May | Afternoon | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC Computer Science Paper 2 |
When are the GCSE Religious Studies exams in 2026?
| Date | Session | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 12 May | Morning | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas RS Paper 1; CCEA RS Unit 6 |
| Wednesday 20 May | Afternoon | AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas RS Paper 2; WJEC RS Unit 1; CCEA RS Units 3, 4, 5 |
| Friday 29 May | Morning | CCEA RS Units 1 & 2 |
| Monday 1 June | Afternoon | Edexcel RS Papers 3 & 4; Eduqas RS Paper 3; WJEC RS Units 2 & 3 |
| Wednesday 3 June | Afternoon | CCEA RS Unit 7 |
| Wednesday 10 June | Afternoon | CCEA RS Unit 8 |
| Thursday 18 June | Afternoon | CCEA RS Unit 9 |
Don't assume your school uses the same exam board for every subject. It's common for schools to use AQA for one subject and Edexcel for another. Ask each of your teachers which board you're sitting.
Where can I find my full personalised timetable?
Your school's exams officer will give you a personalised timetable listing every paper you're sitting. You can also check the official timetable on your exam board's website.
| Exam Board | Timetable Page |
|---|---|
| AQA | aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/dates-and-timetables |
| Pearson Edexcel | qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/exams/exam-timetables.html |
| OCR | ocr.org.uk/administration/exam-timetables |
| Eduqas | eduqas.co.uk/home/administration/key-dates-and-timetables |
| WJEC | wjec.co.uk/exam-timetables |
| CCEA | ccea.org.uk/key-dates |
What happens if two exams clash?
If you have two exams scheduled at the same time, your school's exams officer will arrange for you to sit both, usually one immediately after the other. You'll be supervised between papers so there's no contact with other students. You won't lose any time from either paper.
This is a standard process and happens more often than you'd think. You don't need to contact the exam board yourself.
How to plan your revision around the timetable
Exam season preparation checklist
Use this in the weeks before exams begin.
- Confirm which exam board you use for each subject
- Get your personalised timetable from your school's exams officer
- Identify your first and last exams and plan revision accordingly
- Note any clashes and speak to your exams officer early
- Prepare equipment: black pens, pencils, ruler, calculator, clear pencil case
- Know your candidate number and exam room locations
- Plan your morning routine for exam days
Work backwards from your first exam. Subjects with early papers need revision time first. Subjects with papers in mid-June can wait a little longer.
