GCSE Computer science: Exam Structure by Board
Your Teacher Information Pack for GCSE Computer science: how the exams are built for each board, the key dates for summer 2027, and links to specifications, past papers and grade boundaries.
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- Qualification
- GCSE (9 to 1)
- Years
- Year 10 and Year 11 (KS4)
- Boards covered
- AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR
- Entries 2026 (England)
- 83,330 (no. 15 by entries)
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Entries: Ofqual provisional entries, summer 2026 (rounded).
The national curriculum content behind this GCSE: KS4 Computing programme of study.
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Exam structure by board
Pick your board to see every paper with its length, marks and weighting, plus practicals, tiers and links.
AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2025
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Computational thinking and programming skills | 2 h | 90 | 50% |
| Paper 2: Computing concepts | 1 h 45 min | 90 | 50% |
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Computer Science (1CP2)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2020
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Principles of Computer Science | 1 h 30 min | 75 | 50% |
| Paper 2: Application of Computational Thinking | 2 h | 75 | 50% |
Full Pearson Edexcel pack · specification on the Pearson Edexcel website
OCR GCSE (9-1) Computer Science (J277)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2020
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component 01: Computer systems | 1 h 30 min | 80 | 50% | No |
| Component 02: Computational thinking, algorithms and programming | 1 h 30 min | 80 | 50% | No |
Key dates
Summer 2027 exam series
- Entries deadline: Sun, 21 February 2027
- First exam: Mon, 10 May 2027
- Last GCSE exam: Fri, 18 June 2027
- Contingency day: Wed, 23 June 2027
- GCSE results day: Thu, 19 August 2027 (from a provisional board timetable)
Sources: JCQ key dates June 2027 (final (JCQ key dates)); JCQ key dates and timetables; JCQ timetable commentary. Check each board's final timetable for paper dates. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Official documents
- Grade boundaries: AQA
- Grade boundaries: Pearson Edexcel
- Grade boundaries: OCR
- Grade boundaries: WJEC Eduqas
- JCQ access arrangements
More packs
Other GCSEs: GCSE Combined science, GCSE Mathematics, GCSE English language, GCSE English literature, GCSE History, GCSE Geography, GCSE Religious studies, GCSE Art and design, GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry, GCSE Physics, GCSE Business, GCSE Spanish, GCSE French, GCSE Physical education. Find another TIP
Exam facts (paper names, times, marks, weightings, tiers, codes) are taken from each exam board's own specification pages and summarised in our own words; no specification text, papers or mark schemes are reproduced. Exam details checked against the board's specification on 2026-10-20. Always check the current specification on the board's website.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Ofqual and DfE pages on GOV.UK). Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education, Ofqual, JCQ, AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or WJEC Eduqas.
Questions teachers ask
How many papers are there in GCSE Computer science?
AQA 8525: 2 exam papers; Pearson Edexcel 1CP2: 2 exam papers; OCR J277: 2 exam papers. Check the board's specification for options and routes.
Is GCSE Computer science tiered?
No. All students sit the same papers.