GCSE Geography: Exam Structure by Board
Your Teacher Information Pack for GCSE Geography: how the exams are built for each board, the key dates for summer 2027, and links to specifications, past papers and grade boundaries.
- Qualification
- GCSE (9 to 1)
- Years
- Year 10 and Year 11 (KS4)
- Boards covered
- AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC Eduqas
- Entries 2026 (England)
- 289,615 (no. 6 by entries)
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Entries: Ofqual provisional entries, summer 2026 (rounded).
The national curriculum has no KS4 programme of study for geography (KS1-3 only).
Exam structure by board
Pick your board to see every paper with its length, marks and weighting, plus practicals, tiers and links.
AQA GCSE Geography (8035)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Living with the physical environment | 1 h 30 min | 88 +3 SPaG | 35% |
| Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment | 1 h 30 min | 88 +3 SPaG | 35% |
| Paper 3: Geographical applications | 1 h 30 min | 76 +6 SPaG | 30% |
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Geography A (1GA0)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: The Physical Environment | 1 h 45 min | 94 +4 SPaG | 37.5% |
| Component 2: The Human Environment | 1 h 30 min | 94 +4 SPaG | 37.5% |
| Component 3: Geographical Investigations: Fieldwork and UK Challenges | 1 h 30 min | 64 +4 SPaG | 25% |
Full Pearson Edexcel pack · specification on the Pearson Edexcel website
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Geography B (1GB0)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Global Geographical Issues | 1 h 30 min | 94 +4 SPaG | 37.5% |
| Component 2: UK Geographical Issues | 1 h 45 min | 94 +4 SPaG | 37.5% |
| Component 3: People and Environment Issues - Making Geographical Decisions | 1 h 30 min | 64 +4 SPaG | 25% |
Full Pearson Edexcel pack · specification on the Pearson Edexcel website
OCR GCSE (9-1) Geography A (Geographical Themes) (J383)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 01: Living in the UK Today | 1 h | 60 +3 SPaG | 30% |
| Component 02: The World Around Us | 1 h | 60 +3 SPaG | 30% |
| Component 03: Geographical Skills | 1 h 30 min | 80 +3 SPaG | 40% |
OCR GCSE (9-1) Geography B (Geography for Enquiring Minds) (J384)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2025
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 01: Our Natural World | 1 h 30 min | 70 +3 SPaG | 35% |
| Component 02: People and Society | 1 h 30 min | 70 +3 SPaG | 35% |
| Component 03: Geographical Exploration | 1 h 30 min | 60 +3 SPaG | 30% |
Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Geography A (C111QS)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Changing Physical and Human Landscapes | 1 h 30 min | 88 +4 SPaG | 35% |
| Component 2: Environmental and Development Issues | 1 h 30 min | 88 +4 SPaG | 35% |
| Component 3: Applied Fieldwork Enquiry | 1 h 30 min | 76 +4 SPaG | 30% |
Full WJEC Eduqas pack · specification on the WJEC Eduqas website
Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Geography B (C112QS)
Tiers: No tiers (one paper set for all) · first taught 2016
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Investigating Geographical Issues | 1 h 45 min | 100 +4 SPaG | 40% |
| Component 2: Problem Solving Geography | 1 h 30 min | 76 +4 SPaG | 30% |
| Component 3: Applied Fieldwork Enquiry | 1 h 30 min | 76 +4 SPaG | 30% |
Full WJEC Eduqas pack · specification on the WJEC Eduqas website
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
- Ofqual subject-level conditions and requirements (GOV.UK)
- 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 Religious studies, GCSE Art and design, GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry, GCSE Physics. 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 Geography?
AQA 8035: 3 exam papers; Pearson Edexcel 1GA0: 3 exam papers; Pearson Edexcel 1GB0: 3 exam papers; OCR J383: 3 exam papers; OCR J384: 3 exam papers; WJEC Eduqas C111QS: 3 exam papers; WJEC Eduqas C112QS: 3 exam papers. Check the board's specification for options and routes.
Is GCSE Geography tiered?
No. All students sit the same papers.