Who chooses the board?
Your school decides both the exam board and which combined science course your class follows. Each board writes its own specification, the official document that sets out what is examined. Ask your science department which course code you are on before relying on any one column below. This page explains what the documents say; it is not a guide to picking between them.
More than one route per board
Unlike Maths, combined science is not one qualification per board. OCR offers two separate courses, Gateway Science (J250) and Twenty First Century Science (J260), and they are assembled quite differently. AQA also has a second combined option, Synergy (8465), which this table does not cover; its specification page is linked for completeness. This table’s AQA column is Trilogy (8464).
What the documents have in common
All of these courses are examined by written papers at Foundation or Higher tier, and expect students to carry out practical work during the course. Each paper is weighted equally within its board’s scheme, apart from OCR’s Twenty First Century course, where the fourth paper carries a smaller share.
Where the documents differ
Structure is the main difference. AQA and Pearson Edexcel both split the course into six papers, two per science, and AQA’s papers run to 70 marks against Pearson Edexcel’s 60. OCR Gateway also uses six shorter papers. OCR Twenty First Century uses four longer papers: one for each science and a final Combined Science paper that draws on all the content. Total marks come to 360 for Pearson Edexcel and both OCR courses, and 420 for AQA Trilogy, but the way marks are spread across a sitting is not the same.
Practical requirements are worded differently too. AQA lists 21 required practical activities and Pearson Edexcel lists 18 mandatory core practicals. OCR asks the school to confirm a minimum number of practical activities, and says practical skills are tested in the written papers rather than assessed directly. In every case it is the exam papers that test what you have learned from practical work, so a practical you missed in class is still worth reading up on.
Calculator wording varies. Pearson Edexcel and both OCR courses say a calculator may be used. For AQA Trilogy the specification does not contain a calculator statement, so the table says so; ask your school which rules apply.
| What is compared | AQA Trilogy 8464 1, 2, 3, 4, 12 | Pearson Edexcel 1SC0 7 | OCR Gateway A J250 9 | OCR 21st Century B J260 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papers | 6 (2 Biology, 2 Chemistry, 2 Physics) | 6 (2 Biology, 2 Chemistry, 2 Physics) | 6 at each tier (2 Biology, 2 Chemistry, 2 Physics) | 4 at each tier (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and a Combined Science paper) |
| Length of each paper | 1 hour 15 minutes | 1 hour 10 minutes | 1 hour 10 minutes | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Marks per paper | 70 | 60 | 60 | 95 for Biology, Chemistry and Physics; 75 for Combined Science |
| Total marks | 420 (6 × 70) | 360 (6 × 60) | 360 (6 × 60) | 360 (3 × 95 + 75) |
| Weighting | 16.7% per paper | 16.67% per paper | 16.7% per paper | 26.4% for each of the first three papers; 20.8% for the Combined Science paper |
| Tiers | Foundation and Higher | Foundation and Higher; all papers at one tier | Foundation (grades 5-5 to 1-1) or Higher | Foundation or Higher |
| Calculator rules | No calculator statement in the specification | Calculators may be used | Scientific or graphical calculator permitted | Scientific or graphical calculator permitted |
| Practical work | 21 required practical activities; written questions drawing on them count for at least 15% of marks | 18 mandatory core practicals; the school confirms they were completed | School confirms at least 16 practical activities; practical skills are tested in the written papers (15% practical content) | School confirms at least 16 practical activities; at least 15% of questions assess practical skills |
Last checked: 28 October 2026. This AQA calculator cell reads as it does because no calculator statement appears in the AQA Trilogy specification we read.
Reading the table
Each cell comes from the board’s own pages or PDF listed under Sources, and the numbers in the column headings point to them. Specifications are reissued from time to time, so the date we last looked is shown below the table. If anything conflicts with what your school tells you, your school and the board’s current document come first.
Using the differences in your revision
Paper length affects how you rehearse. A 1 hour 10 minute paper and a 1 hour 45 minute paper ask for different pacing, so time yourself against your own board’s format. Our free past papers finder points you to where each board publishes its papers, and a tutor can help you plan a sensible order and talk through your answers.
Official specification pages
Go straight to the source: AQA Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), Pearson Edexcel GCSE Sciences (2016), OCR Gateway Combined Science A (J250) and OCR Twenty First Century Combined Science B (J260).
Part of the GCSE Combined Science revision set: the revision guide, glossary of key terms and self-marking quiz.