It feels like everything is happening at once. Only last week we were finishing off E’s sixth form application, and now we’re already staring down the GCSE exam dates for 2026. To make it feel even more real, he’s already sat one GCSE this year — his school does the statistics exam in Year 10. His full set of choices for his GCSEs was triple science, art, and DT, so the big summer exam season in Year 11 is going to be a busy one.

This week we sat down together and made a personalised exam chart with all his dates on. It sounds simple, but it really helped to see it laid out. And the little win? His birthday falls right in the middle of exam season in May, when he turns 16, but luckily, he doesn’t have one scheduled that day. Small mercies!

When Do GCSEs Start and Finish in 2026?

The summer GCSE exam dates 2026 are set to run from the week commencing Monday 4 May until Friday 26 June.

These are the most up-to-date dates set by the exam boards, but they might shift slightly closer to the time. Think of them as a guide for planning, with the final, confirmed timetable coming from your child’s school.

Key GCSE Exam Dates 2026

Here are some of the headline subjects and when their papers are scheduled:

• Maths
  • 7 May – WJEC Maths Unit 1 (foundation, intermediate, higher)
  • 14 May – AQA/Edexcel Paper 1 (non-calculator)
  • 3 June – AQA/Edexcel Paper 2 (calculator)
  • 10 June – AQA/Edexcel Paper 3 (calculator)
• English Language
  • 21 May – AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas Paper 1
  • 5 June – AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas Paper 2
• English Literature
  • 11 May – Paper 1 (all boards)
  • 19 May – Paper 2 (most boards)
• Sciences
  • Biology Paper 1 – 12 May (afternoon)
  • Chemistry Paper 1 – 18 May (morning)
  • Physics Paper 1 – 2 June (morning)
  • Biology Paper 2 – 8 June (morning)
  • Chemistry Paper 2 – 12 June (morning)
  • Physics Paper 2 – 15 June (morning)
• Geography
  • 13 May – Paper 1
  • 3 June – Paper 2
  • 11 June – Paper 3
• History
  • 15 May – Paper 1
  • 4 June – Paper 2
  • 9 June – Paper 3 (Edexcel/OCR/CCEA)

This isn’t every single subject or paper (you’d be here all day scrolling through those), but it does give you a feel for how the exam season is spread out. The exact dates will depend on the exam board your child’s school uses — AQA, OCR, Edexcel, WJEC, CCEA, Eduqas — so it’s worth double-checking against the school’s own timetable. If you want the full breakdown, the BBC Bitesize exam dates page has everything laid out in detail.

What About Mocks and Coursework?

As if the summer exams weren’t enough, there are the mocks to think about too. Most schools run them in December or January of Year 11, and some squeeze in an extra set at the end of Year 10. They don’t carry the same weight as the real thing, but they do give you a very real sense of what the summer will be like — and they’re where predicted grades often come from.

Then there are the non-exam assessments, like language speaking tests or science practicals. These usually crop up before May and are scheduled by the school, so they can feel like they come out of nowhere if you’re not paying attention. Definitely one to watch for in the school emails, otherwise it’ll be a nasty surprise on a random Tuesday morning.

Creating a Personalised Schedule

Having all the dates printed in a timetable format really helps. For E, it meant he could see when his sciences were clumped together and where the lighter weeks fell. For us as parents, it gave a clearer picture of where to encourage revision and where to plan for downtime.

Want to make your own exam chart?

We’ve put together a simple blank GCSE exam dates 2026 timetable template you can download and fill in with your child’s dates. Print it, stick it up, colour-code it — whatever works best for your family.

Download the blank GCSE exam timetable here

The Reality for Parents

GCSEs 2026 might sound like they’re ages away, but once Year 11 gets going, it’ll fly past. Having the dates written down doesn’t magically make it all less stressful, but it does help everyone feel a bit more in control. For us, sticking E’s chart up on the fridge means no excuses for “forgetting” what’s coming next, and I can already see it stopping a few arguments before they start.

Revision timetables, though? That’s a whole other battle…

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