OCR GCSE Combined Science A (Gateway Science) specification
The specification (J250) is OCR's own description of the Combined Science A (Gateway Science) course: what you can be examined on, how the exams are set out and how they are marked. The link below opens the board's PDF on ocr.org.uk, so you always get its current version.
Open the J250 specification (PDF) (opens ocr.org.uk in a new tab)Everything for OCR GCSE Combined Science A (Gateway Science), with the past papers, grade boundaries and the notes and flashcards people have shared.
How OCR GCSE Combined Science A (Gateway Science) is examined
From OCR's grade boundaries for June 2026. Some boards list every optional paper or time-zone variant, so you sit only the ones for your route; the specification says which.
| Paper | Marks | Next exam |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (Biology) (Foundation)J250/01 | 60 | Tuesday 11 May 2027, morning |
| Paper 2 (Biology) (Foundation)J250/02 | 60 | Thursday 10 June 2027, morning |
| Paper 3 (Chemistry) (Foundation)J250/03 | 60 | Monday 17 May 2027, morning |
| Paper 4 (Chemistry) (Foundation)J250/04 | 60 | Tuesday 15 June 2027, morning |
| Paper 5 (Physics) (Foundation)J250/05 | 60 | Tuesday 25 May 2027, morning |
| Paper 6 (Physics) (Foundation)J250/06 | 60 | Friday 18 June 2027, morning |
| Paper 7 (Biology) (Higher)J250/07 | 60 | Tuesday 11 May 2027, morning |
| Paper 8 (Biology) (Higher)J250/08 | 60 | Thursday 10 June 2027, morning |
| Paper 9 (Chemistry) (Higher)J250/09 | 60 | Monday 17 May 2027, morning |
| Paper 10 (Chemistry) (Higher)J250/10 | 60 | Tuesday 15 June 2027, morning |
| Paper 11 (Physics) (Higher)J250/11 | 60 | Tuesday 25 May 2027, morning |
| Paper 12 (Physics) (Higher)J250/12 | 60 | Friday 18 June 2027, morning |
In June 2026, the Foundation tier gave grades 1-1 to 5-5 and the Higher tier gave grades 4-3 to 9-9, so a student entered for Foundation could not get above 5-5. Foundation or higher?
Turn a mark into a grade · OCR GCSE exam dates · Extra time and access arrangements
Revising from the Combined Science A (Gateway Science) specification
Work through the specification's content list and mark what you are unsure of, then practise those parts with OCR's past papers and read your marks against the same year’s grade boundaries.
Common questions
Where can I find the OCR GCSE Combined Science A (Gateway Science) specification?
The link on this page opens OCR's own copy of the Combined Science A (Gateway Science) specification (J250), a PDF on its website, so you always get the current version. We link to it rather than keep a copy.
What is in the Combined Science A (Gateway Science) specification?
A specification is the board's own description of the course: the content you can be examined on, how the exams are set out and how they are marked. It is the most useful single document to revise from, because every exam question has to come from it.
Can I make practice questions from the specification?
Yes. cookie can make exam-style questions from a specification and mark your answers, so you can practise the parts you are least sure of once you run out of past papers.
More specifications: every GCSE specification we link.
cookie is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board. Every paper here is a link to the board's own copy on its own website, and the papers belong to the boards that set them. If a link has stopped working, the board's own past paper page is linked on each course.