Everything you need to revise for AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC GCSEs in one place. Verified past papers, spec-aligned checklists, a grade calculator, exam countdown and a revision timetable generator — all free, no sign-up.
GCSEs (General Certificates of Secondary Education) are the main academic qualifications students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland sit at the end of Year 11 — typically aged 15-16. Most students take 8-10 GCSEs across core subjects like Maths, English Language, English Literature and the sciences, plus options such as History, Geography, modern languages and the arts. The grades you achieve at GCSE determine the A-Level, BTEC or T-Level courses you can take at 16, and follow you onto university and apprenticeship applications.
In England, GCSEs use the 9-1 numerical grading scale. Grade 9 is the very top — harder to achieve than the old A* — while grade 4 is a "standard pass" and grade 5 is a "strong pass". Grade boundaries are set each August by the exam boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC) and shift slightly every year so that papers of equivalent difficulty award equivalent grades.
The science on revision is clear: active recall beats re-reading every time. Instead of highlighting your notes, test yourself on past-paper questions, mark your answers honestly against the official mark scheme, then drill the topics you got wrong. Space your sessions across days and weeks (spaced practice) rather than cramming the night before — you'll remember more for longer.
A good week looks like 3-5 focused 25-50 minute revision blocks per subject, mixed across maths, English and sciences so no single skill goes cold. Use the free Pomodoro timer to keep blocks tight and the revision timetable generator to balance everything against your exam dates.
All four major UK exam boards are regulated by Ofqual, so grade standards are equivalent — but the specifications and exam formats differ. AQA is the largest board for English and the sciences; Edexcel (Pearson) dominates Maths; OCR and WJEC/Eduqas cover the rest. Your school decides which board you sit, so always revise from that board's past papers.
GCSEs in England are graded 9 (highest) down to 1. Grade 9 is harder to get than the old A*; grade 4 is the "standard pass" and grade 5 is a "strong pass". A few subjects in Wales and Northern Ireland still use A*-G.
No single board is consistently hardest. AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC are all regulated by Ofqual so grade boundaries adjust each summer to keep difficulty equivalent. Your school chooses the board — focus on that board’s past papers.
The GCSE 2026 written exam series begins in mid-May 2026 and finishes in late June. See our live GCSE exam countdown for the exact date of the first paper.
From January of Year 11, aim for 10–15 hours a week, scaling up to 20+ in the final month. Space sessions across days and mix subjects rather than cramming one topic.
Active recall and past papers — not re-reading notes. Use a spec-aligned checklist to find weak topics, drill them with timed past-paper questions, then mark against the official mark scheme.
Yes. Past papers, checklists, the grade calculator, exam countdown, Pomodoro timer and timetable generator are all 100% free with no sign-up required.