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🇬🇧 GCSE reference page

GCSE Science Syllabus Reference

A topic-grouped study map for GCSE Biology, Chemistry, and Physics — covering required practicals, examiner patterns, and the topics that appear in every series.

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3

sciences

21

required practicals

2

exam papers each

Three sciences

Biology

7 topic areas

Chemistry

8 topic areas

Physics

8 topic areas

Syllabus by subject

Topics grouped by how they connect

AQA / Edexcel / OCR

Biology

7 topics

Largest section. Required practicals (osmosis, enzymes, microbial growth) are examined every year — know the method and variables.

  • Cell biology
  • Organisation (organ systems)
  • Infection and response
  • Bioenergetics (photosynthesis, respiration)
  • Homeostasis and response
  • Inheritance, variation and evolution
  • Ecology

Chemistry

8 topics

Mole calculations and electrolysis are high-value topics. Required practical on titration is tested in multiple choice and extended answers.

  • Atomic structure and the periodic table
  • Bonding, structure and properties
  • Quantitative chemistry (moles)
  • Chemical changes (electrolysis, reactivity)
  • Energy changes
  • Rate and equilibrium
  • Organic chemistry
  • Chemical analysis

Physics

8 topics

Calculation questions dominate. Always show the equation, substitution, and unit. Required practical on resistance and waves appear every series.

  • Energy stores and transfers
  • Electricity (circuits, mains)
  • Particle model of matter
  • Atomic structure and radioactivity
  • Forces (Newton's laws, momentum)
  • Waves (EM spectrum, sound)
  • Magnetism and electromagnetism
  • Space (higher only)

Practice bridge

Turn any topic into a practice test

Step 1

Paste 'GCSE Biology — cell biology and organisation' to generate 10 exam-style questions with full answers.

Step 2

Upload a photo of a past paper question — get 5 similar questions at the same difficulty level.

Step 3

Ask for a required practical quiz on osmosis or electrolysis to practise method and variable questions.

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Commonly searched questions

What students ask most about GCSE Science

How to revise GCSE Science effectively

Split revision by subject — Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are essentially three separate exams. Prioritise required practicals since they appear in every paper. For each practical, know the independent variable, dependent variable, control variables, and at least one source of error.

Where to find GCSE Science past papers

AQA, Edexcel, and OCR each publish free past papers and mark schemes on their websites. AQA Combined Science Trilogy papers are the most widely used — at least five years of papers are available online.

How hard is GCSE Triple Science compared to Combined Science?

Triple Science covers additional content in each subject (e.g. Space Physics, organic synthesis, stem cells) and is examined in six papers instead of six shorter ones. The extra content is not dramatically harder — the main difference is breadth, not depth.

What are the required practicals for GCSE Science?

AQA Combined Science has 21 required practicals across Biology (e.g. osmosis, microbial growth), Chemistry (e.g. titration, electrolysis), and Physics (e.g. resistance, waves). Examiners ask about method, variables, and results from these practicals in every paper.

Official resources

From the exam boards directly

This page covers the current GCSE Science specification. Verify the official board site before your exam if a spec update has been announced.

📚 AQA Combined Science →📝 Edexcel GCSE Science →🔗 OCR GCSE Science →