The May & June 2026 exam window is the busiest stretch in the international school year. Cambridge IGCSE and IB Diploma exams are already underway, Pearson Edexcel and AQA GCSE papers begin in mid-May, and International A-Level sittings open in the same window for most boards. If you are a student juggling six to ten subjects, a parent trying to plan revision around the family calendar, or a school exam officer preparing a clash schedule, the 2026 exam timetable is the document that everything else hangs off.

This guide pulls together what the published timetables look like across boards, the dates that matter for planning, and the practical decisions you can only make once your personal schedule is in front of you. Where we link out, we link to the official source — your school’s exam officer always has the definitive version for your centre.

Who sits exams in May and June 2026

Five major exam streams overlap in this window:

• Cambridge IGCSE (Cambridge International / CAIE) — main June 2026 series, papers running through May into late June.
• Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and GCSE — Edexcel’s May/June window, including International GCSE (IGCSE) and UK GCSE.
• AQA GCSE — UK GCSE summer 2026 series, opening mid-May.
• Cambridge International AS & A-Level and Pearson Edexcel International A-Level (IAL) — May/June 2026 series.
• IB Diploma Programme — May 2026 examination session, currently in progress for most subjects.

Each board publishes its own timetable, and within a board there are typically two streams (for example, Cambridge publishes a “zone” timetable that varies by region; Edexcel publishes a UK and an International timetable). Always check the timetable specific to your country and centre — administrative differences are the source of nearly every avoidable timetable mistake.

Why a personalised timetable matters more than the master document

The board’s master timetable is dense, multi-page and not designed to be read by a student. What you actually need is a personal calendar that:

• Lists only your subjects, your papers and your sittings (option codes matter — Paper 4 vs Paper 6 in Cambridge sciences are different exams).
• Shows the time gap between consecutive exams so you can plan revision.
• Surfaces clashes the centre is resolving, so you know whether you are sitting back-to-back or under supervised conditions.
• Counts down the days remaining to each paper, in your local timezone.

Building this from a master PDF is a 30-minute job done by hand, every time something changes. A small mistake — a missed component, a wrong date — costs hours of misdirected revision.

Tutopiya’s free Exam Timetable Builder

We built the Tutopiya Exam Timetable Builder so this is a five-minute job rather than a thirty-minute one. You pick your board (Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel, AQA or IB), select your subjects and papers, and the tool returns a clean personal timetable with live countdowns, gap calculations and export to PDF, CSV or ICS so you can drop it straight into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.

It is free, browser-based, and works for students, parents tracking a child’s schedule, and exam officers who need a simple per-candidate sheet for invigilation folders. There is no sign-up required to build a timetable.

Cambridge IGCSE: what to expect in the May/June 2026 series

Cambridge runs the largest IGCSE entry globally, and its June 2026 series spans approximately late April through late June, depending on subject and zone. A few features of the Cambridge timetable that catch students out:

• Two zones. Most countries are on the standard timetable; some sit administrative zones that shift papers by a few hours. Check your centre’s zone before you make a revision plan.
• Multiple paper components. Sciences typically have a multiple-choice paper, a structured paper and a practical (or alternative-to-practical). Languages have listening, reading and writing components on different days.
• Option codes matter. “IGCSE Mathematics 0580” and “IGCSE Mathematics (9–1) 0980” are different syllabuses with different timetables.

If you are a Cambridge candidate in the final fortnight, the priorities are well-defined: target high-mark question types, drill command words in past-paper conditions, and use the gap days for active recall rather than re-reading. We cover the last-two-weeks pattern in our guide on how to revise in the last week before IGCSE exams.

Pearson Edexcel: International GCSE and International A-Level timetable shape

Pearson Edexcel publishes two relevant May/June 2026 timetables:

• International GCSE (IGCSE) — runs alongside Cambridge IGCSE, with overlapping subjects but often different paper codes (e.g. Mathematics A 4MA1 vs Mathematics B 4MB1).
• International A-Level (IAL) — modular and unitised; you may sit U1, U2 and U3 in the same series, or split sittings across May/June and the following January.

Edexcel timetables are typically denser at the start of June, with most science and maths papers concentrated in the first two weeks of June. If you are sitting both IGCSE and IAL components in the same series — common for accelerated candidates — the Tutopiya exam timetable builder will let you select both qualifications in one timetable so the gap days are visible.

AQA GCSE: UK summer 2026 series

AQA’s GCSE summer 2026 timetable opens mid-May 2026 and runs through the third week of June. Defining features:

• Tiered papers (Foundation and Higher) for several subjects — make sure your timetable reflects the tier you are entered for.
• Clustering of sciences and maths in the first ten days, often with back-to-back days that need careful pacing.
• Reading lists and option papers in English Literature and History — confirm your set texts and option codes with your teacher before you start your revision plan.

AQA also publishes a provisional timetable earlier in the academic year and a final confirmed timetable closer to the series. Always work from the final confirmed version once it is released.

International A-Level: May 2026 sittings

The International A-Level window opens in May for the major boards (Cambridge International AS & A-Level, Edexcel IAL, Oxford AQA and CIE). Two practical points:

• Synoptic and applied papers sit later in the window; non-synoptic and unitised components sit earlier. The gap matters when planning revision priorities.
• Coursework / NEA / portfolio of evidence deadlines often fall before the written paper window. Check coursework cut-offs against your timetable before May begins. We have a deeper guide on the 2026 portfolio expectations: how to build a Portfolio of Evidence for IGCSE: Cambridge & Pearson 2026.

IB Diploma May 2026 session

The IB DP May 2026 examination session runs from late April through late May. The IB timetable has a few quirks worth flagging:

• Paper 1 and Paper 2 in most subjects sit on consecutive days or with one day’s gap; Paper 3 (where it exists) sits later.
• Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL) papers in the same subject are often on the same day, sometimes back-to-back.
• Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Extended Essay (EE) and Internal Assessments (IAs) are submitted earlier in the year; the May session is for written exams only.

If you are an IB candidate, a personal timetable that includes Paper 1, Paper 2 and (where relevant) Paper 3 for every Group is essential. Six subjects at HL/SL with up to three papers each can mean 15+ separate sittings across four weeks.

How to build a useful personal timetable in under five minutes

The information you need to build a good personal timetable:

1. Your candidate number and centre number (from your statement of entry).
2. Subjects, qualifications and tier/option codes (e.g. “Cambridge IGCSE 0580 Mathematics, Extended”).
3. Each paper component (e.g. “Paper 2”, “Paper 4”, “Paper 6 — Alternative to Practical”).
4. The official date and start time for each component, taken from your board’s published timetable.
5. Your local timezone (Cambridge publishes UK time; international centres often sit a few hours later).

Plug those into the Tutopiya exam timetable builder and the tool returns a one-page personal timetable, a live countdown by paper and a calendar export. Save the export to your phone calendar so the dates travel with you.

Reading your timetable strategically: gap days, clashes and pacing

Once your personal timetable is in front of you, three planning decisions matter more than the rest:

1. Identify your highest-pressure paper and protect the days before it

Look for the subject where the marks are most contested — usually a synoptic A-Level paper, a Maths or Science final, or an extended-response paper in a humanity. The two or three days before that exam are your most valuable revision time. Block them aggressively.

2. Map gap days to a revision priority list

A gap day between papers is not a holiday. It is the most efficient revision day in the calendar, because the next exam is concrete. Use gap days for targeted past-paper practice, not for fresh content. A confidence-rated subject revision checklist is the fastest way to decide where the next four hours of revision will earn the most marks. We cover how to choose what to revise when time is tight in how to revise in the last week before IGCSE exams.

3. Watch for back-to-back paper days

Two papers on the same day — common in IB and in some Cambridge subjects — is the classic stamina trap. Plan your sleep, your food and your between-paper routine in advance. Decide what you will do in the 90 minutes between papers before the day arrives, not on the morning.

Advice for parents and family schedulers

If you are a parent supporting an exam candidate, three practical asks help most:

• Get the timetable into the family calendar. A shared digital calendar avoids the “I told you Tuesday was Maths” conversation. The Tutopiya timetable builder exports to ICS so it drops into Google, Apple and Outlook calendars in one click.
• Plan transport, food and sleep around the timetable, not the other way round. Move social commitments off the days before high-pressure papers.
• Be the calm one on results day, not exam day. Exam-day stress is normal. Grade anxiety is a separate conversation that belongs after the series ends.

If you want to forecast the grade your child is on track for once the early papers are sat, our grade predictor tool turns mock and early-paper marks into a likely grade band. For Maths and Science candidates, the 2026 formula sheets hub is a useful pre-paper download — print the booklet for the specific paper alongside the timetable export.

Advice for school exam officers and curriculum leaders

Exam officers already work from the official board timetable and JCQ (or international-equivalent) regulations — that is the authoritative document. The Tutopiya exam timetable builder is intended as a per-candidate companion sheet, not a replacement for the centre’s master schedule. Where it is useful:

• Generating a clean, single-page candidate timetable for invigilation folders.
• Producing calendar exports for parents who request a digital copy.
• Giving Year 10 / Year 12 students a preview of how their personal series will look, ahead of formal entry confirmation.

If you would like a deeper teacher-facing planning tool, we cover the lesson-and-unit-level scaffold in how to write a lesson plan for IGCSE, A-Level & IB classes.

Frequently asked questions

When are the 2026 IGCSE exams?

The Cambridge IGCSE June 2026 series runs from late April through late June, depending on subject and zone. Pearson Edexcel International GCSE follows a similar window. Always check your centre’s specific timetable, as zone variations and option codes shift individual paper dates.

When are the 2026 GCSE exams in the UK?

The main UK GCSE summer 2026 series — for AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR — opens in mid-May 2026 and runs through the third week of June. The exact start date varies slightly by board; AQA and Pearson Edexcel publish provisional timetables in the autumn before the series.

When are the 2026 A-Level exams?

UK A-Level summer 2026 papers run from mid-May through late June. International A-Level sittings (Cambridge International, Edexcel IAL, Oxford AQA) follow a similar window, with synoptic papers concentrated towards the end and unitised papers earlier.

When are the IB Diploma May 2026 exams?

The IB DP May 2026 session runs from late April through late May. Paper 1 and Paper 2 in most subjects sit close together; Paper 3 (where it exists) and HL extension papers sit later in the window.

How do I find my personal exam timetable?

Your statement of entry, issued by your school exam officer, lists your candidate number, centre number and the dates and times of every paper you are entered for. The official board timetable then confirms the start times. Use the Tutopiya exam timetable builder to convert that information into a clean personal calendar.

What if I have two exams on the same day?

A same-day pair (sometimes called a “split sitting”) is common in Cambridge and IB. Centres handle it under board regulations — typically a supervised gap or a confirmed afternoon sitting. Confirm with your exam officer how the day is structured at your centre, and plan your between-paper routine in advance.

What is a clash and how is it resolved?

A clash is when two timetabled papers overlap. Boards have published procedures: typically one paper is sat under supervised “lockdown” conditions while the other is taken as scheduled. Your school exam officer is the only person who can confirm the clash policy that applies to you.

Can I use the Tutopiya timetable builder if my school uses a different timezone?

Yes — the exam timetable builder lets you set your local timezone. UK boards publish times in UK local time; the tool offsets to your centre’s actual sitting time so the countdown is accurate.

Does the timetable include coursework or NEA deadlines?

Coursework, Non-Examined Assessment (NEA), Internal Assessments and portfolio submission deadlines are set by your board separately from the written timetable, and are usually earlier in the year. Add those to your personal calendar manually using the timetable builder’s custom-event option, or check your school’s coursework calendar.

How early should I start building my personal timetable?

Once the final confirmed timetable is published by your board (typically a few months before the series), build your personal version straight away. Working from a confirmed timetable removes the risk of revising to a date that subsequently moved.

Where do I get the official timetable for my board?

Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, AQA, OCR and IBO all publish final timetables on their official websites. Your school exam officer holds the definitive copy for your centre. Use those as the source of truth; community PDFs and forum posts go out of date.

Is there a downloadable copy of my Tutopiya timetable?

Yes — the exam timetable builder exports your personal timetable as PDF, CSV and ICS (calendar). PDF is best for printing; ICS drops the events straight into Google, Apple or Outlook calendars.

---

Last reviewed: 28 April 2026. Always confirm exam dates with your school exam officer and the official board timetable. Timetables, paper codes and zone allocations are subject to board updates and centre-specific arrangements.

Ready to Excel in Your Studies?

Get personalised help from Tutopiya's expert tutors. Whether it's IGCSE, IB, A-Levels, or any other curriculum — we match you with the perfect tutor and your first session is free.

Book Your Free Trial