Examius
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · School
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Syllabus
The main subject-based qualifications taken by students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, typically at age 16 (end of Year 11). The full General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) syllabus: 8 subjects, 46 chapters, 154 topics and 344 sub-topics, with 474 flashcards written against it.
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subjects
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) has 8 subjects. Each one is listed below with its chapters in syllabus order; open a subject for every topic and sub-topic inside them.
Mathematics
- Number · 4 topics
- Algebra · 5 topics
- Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change · 4 topics
- Geometry and Measures · 5 topics
- Probability and Statistics · 3 topics
English Language and English Literature
- Reading Fiction and Literary Non-fiction · 4 topics
- Writing for Purpose and Audience · 3 topics
- Shakespeare · 4 topics
- The 19th-Century Novel · 4 topics
- Modern Texts and Drama · 3 topics
- Poetry · 3 topics
- Spoken Language · 3 topics
Combined Science
- Biology: Cells and Organisation · 3 topics
- Biology: Health, Disease and Bioenergetics · 3 topics
- Biology: Homeostasis, Inheritance and Ecology · 3 topics
- Chemistry: Atomic Structure and Bonding · 3 topics
- Chemistry: Reactions and Analysis · 3 topics
- Physics: Energy, Forces and Motion · 3 topics
- Physics: Electricity, Waves and Particles · 3 topics
History
- Medicine and Health Through Time · 4 topics
- Germany 1918-1939 · 4 topics
- Elizabethan England 1558-1603 · 4 topics
- The Cold War and International Relations · 3 topics
- Historical Skills and the Historic Environment · 3 topics
Geography
- The Living World and Ecosystems · 3 topics
- Natural Hazards · 3 topics
- Physical Landscapes of the UK · 3 topics
- Urban Issues and Challenges · 3 topics
- The Changing Economic World · 3 topics
- Resource Management and Geographical Skills · 3 topics
Modern Foreign Language (French)
- Identity and Culture · 4 topics
- Local, National and Global Areas of Interest · 4 topics
- Current and Future Study and Employment · 3 topics
- Grammar and Structures · 3 topics
- Language Skills · 4 topics
Religious Studies
- Christianity: Beliefs and Teachings · 3 topics
- Christianity: Practices · 3 topics
- A Second Religion: Beliefs and Practices · 3 topics
- Themes: Relationships and Life Issues · 3 topics
- Themes: Peace, Crime and Justice · 3 topics
Computer Science
- Computer Systems and Architecture · 3 topics
- Data Representation · 4 topics
- Networks and Cyber Security · 3 topics
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking · 3 topics
- Programming and Software Development · 3 topics
- Impacts of Technology · 3 topics
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) flashcards
474 question-and-answer cards across 8 subject decks, each shown in full on its subject page.
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) syllabus?
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) covers 8 subjects: Mathematics, English Language and English Literature, Combined Science, History, Geography, Modern Foreign Language (French), Religious Studies and Computer Science.
How many chapters and topics are in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) syllabus?
46 chapters and 154 topics, broken down further into 344 sub-topics, across 8 subjects. English Language and English Literature is the largest subject, with 24 topics in 7 chapters.
Are there General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) flashcards?
Yes — 474 question-and-answer flashcards in 8 subject decks. Each deck is printed in full on its subject page here, and the same cards are in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.
Related School syllabuses
Vocational qualifications offered at various levels, widely taken in schools and colleges as career-focused alternatives or supplements to GCSEs and A-Levels.
Cambridge IGCSE syllabusThe international version of the GCSE offered by Cambridge, taken in some UK independent schools and worldwide at age 14-16.
Cambridge Pre-U syllabusA post-16 alternative to A-Levels offered by Cambridge Assessment, designed as preparation for university (being phased out).
Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) syllabusA historic English/Welsh/NI qualification for 16-year-olds run alongside O-Levels, merged into the GCSE in 1988.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) syllabusA standalone Level 3 qualification in England in which sixth-form students complete an independent research project, valued for university admission.
Functional Skills Qualifications syllabusQualifications in English, maths and ICT in England providing practical core skills, often taken by students who did not achieve GCSE grades 4/C.
GCE Advanced Level (A-Levels) syllabusSubject-based qualifications taken at age 18 that form the primary basis for UK university admission.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) syllabusA two-year pre-university diploma offered by many UK schools as an alternative to A-Levels.
Scottish Advanced Higher syllabusThe most advanced school-level Scottish qualification, taken in S6, beyond the standard Higher.
Browse all 30 School syllabuses → · All United Kingdom exams →