Fincho
Northern Ireland

Which nation?

Year groups, qualifications and exam dates all differ by nation.

Key dates

Exam dates, summer 2027.

The written papers run from May into June on the timetable shared across the UK awarding bodies. CCEA sits inside the same window as the others.

Shared summer timetableCCEA grades A* to G with C*

The exam window

  1. Monday 10 May 2027
    A Level written exams begin (JCQ common timetable)Source
  2. Monday 10 May 2027
    GCSE written exams begin (JCQ common timetable)Source
  3. Friday 18 June 2027
    Last GCSE exam (JCQ common timetable)Source
  4. Tuesday 22 June 2027
    Last A Level exam (JCQ common timetable)Source
  5. Wednesday 23 June 2027
    JCQ contingency day (keep free)Source

Applying to university

UCAS runs one cycle for the whole UK, so these dates are the same wherever you are reading from.

  1. Thursday 15 October 202618:00 UK time
    UCAS deadline: Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry, veterinarySource
  2. Wednesday 13 January 202718:00 UK time
    UCAS equal consideration deadline (all other courses)Source
  3. Thursday 25 February 2027
    UCAS Extra opensSource
  4. Wednesday 30 June 202718:00 UK time
    UCAS final application deadline (then Clearing)Source
  5. Friday 2 July 2027
    UCAS Clearing opensSource

The dates below are the national fixed points rather than your child's own timetable. Pupils here sit GCSEs in Year 12 and A Levels in Year 14, a year later in name than in England but at the same ages.

The contingency day is worth putting in the calendar even though most candidates never sit anything on it. It is held free across the country in case a paper has to be moved, and availability is expected.

Year 13 counts as an exam year in its own right. The AS sat at the end of it is worth 40% of the final A Level on CCEA specifications, which is why the four-subject-to-three decision at the end of Year 13 is made with real grades on the table rather than predictions.

Results land in August. Results day 2027, and what to do on it.

Common questions

When do exams start in summer 2027?
Monday 10 May 2027. The last GCSE paper is Friday 18 June and the last A Level paper Tuesday 22 June, with a contingency day on Wednesday 23 June.
Which year sits GCSEs here?
Year 12. Northern Ireland runs Year 8 to Year 14, so the year numbers are one higher than England's for the same ages, and A Levels are completed in Year 14.
Does the AS year count towards the A Level?
On CCEA specifications the AS contributes 40% of the final A Level grade, so the marks from Year 13 carry into the final result rather than being set aside.

Where these dates come from

Dates change every year. We re-check them each September and January, and every row above links to the page it came from.

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