Science GCSE in Wales 2026: Which WJEC Course Is Your Child Taking?
Year 10 science in Wales can mean WJEC The Sciences, Integrated Science or separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Check the right course before revising.
If your child started Year 10 in Wales this September, “I’m doing science GCSE” does not identify the course. Their school may offer WJEC GCSE The Sciences (Double Award), WJEC GCSE Integrated Science (Single Award), or the continuing separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The school decides which routes it offers and which course is appropriate for each learner. Ask for the full qualification title before choosing a revision book, past paper or app course. Qualifications Wales lists the five available science qualifications.
The names matter because the new double and single awards were first taught in September 2026 and are due for their first full awards in 2028. They are not simply new covers for the older Science (Double Award). The separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSEs remain available and have updated practical-assessment arrangements for learners who began Year 10 in 2026. The regulator's science update, published 12 November 2025, says the separate qualifications will continue at least until summer 2031.
The three routes at a glance
| Route for a learner starting Year 10 in September 2026 | What it means | The detail to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| The Sciences (Double Award) | One double-award qualification covering Biology, Chemistry and Physics. WJEC's English-medium qualification code is 3455QD; the Welsh-medium award code in the specification is 3455CD. | Which unit, tier and assessment language the school is using. |
| Integrated Science (Single Award) | One single-award qualification drawing on the sciences with less content than the double award. English-medium code 3450QS; Welsh-medium code 3450CS. | Whether this is the named course—not just a shorthand description of “combined science”. |
| Separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics | Three distinct WJEC GCSE qualifications that continue to be available. Their scientific-enquiry assessment has been updated for the September 2026 starting cohort. | Which of the three separate qualifications the learner is taking and the applicable specification version. |
This is a description of qualifications, not a ranking of pupils or pathways. Qualifications Wales says both The Sciences (Double Award) and the separate sciences have been designed to support progression to AS and A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. WJEC says Integrated Science (Single Award) has less content and is not designed for progression to science AS or A levels. That does not mean a single-award student can never take any post-16 science course; individual entry requirements belong to the school or college, so discuss future plans with them rather than assuming. Qualifications Wales progression FAQ · WJEC Integrated Science specification.
What is actually assessed on the two new courses?
On The Sciences (Double Award), WJEC's specification sets out six written units: two each in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, plus Unit 7 Scientific Enquiry. It is a unitised qualification. The written units are tiered at Foundation or Higher, and a learner may be entered at different tiers across units. Units 1–3 are first available in summer 2027; Units 4–6 and the first full double award follow in 2028. The enquiry unit is first available in spring 2028. Do not use a 2016 Science (Double Award) paper as if it were a past paper for these new units.
On Integrated Science (Single Award), WJEC's specification has Unit 1: Living on Earth, Unit 2: Science in a Changing World and Unit 3: Scientific Enquiry. The two written units are tiered; the enquiry unit is not. Unit 1 is first available in summer 2027, Unit 2 and the first full single award in summer 2028, and Unit 3 from spring 2028. A page or book about “WJEC science” might cover neither of these exact units.
For separate sciences, the titles are still Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but WJEC has published updated specifications with a new Unit 3 practical/scientific-enquiry approach for learners beginning Year 10 in September 2026. A pupil already in Year 11 in autumn 2026 may be working to the earlier assessment arrangements. Check the school's cohort and specification link before choosing practice questions. Qualifications Wales explains the change; WJEC's Physics qualification page shows an example of the updated Unit 3 notice.
Do not confuse the old and new double awards
The older WJEC GCSE Science (Double Award), taught from 2016, is a different qualification from The Sciences (Double Award), taught from 2026. WJEC says summer 2027 is the final full assessment opportunity for the older double award, with a January 2028 resit opportunity subject to demand. Learners beginning Year 10 in September 2026 should not be entered onto that older Science (Double Award); WJEC directs them to the new The Sciences qualification.
That transition is easy to miss because both have Biology, Chemistry, Physics and practical work. A matching subject name is not proof that the unit content, assessment structure or paper is right. The new Integrated Science also replaces an older Applied Science (Single Award) for new Year 10 entrants; WJEC gives the older single-award transition here.
Worked example: a Year 10 pupil finds the wrong “science” paper
Imagine that Elin began Year 10 in a Welsh school in September 2026. Her timetable says “Science”, and her parent finds an online WJEC Science (Double Award) paper from the course taught from 2016. Before Elin spends an evening on it, they ask her teacher which qualification she is studying. The reply confirms WJEC GCSE The Sciences (Double Award), English-medium award code 3455QD, with Unit 1 Biology – Basis of Life as the current unit. Her school will confirm the tier and the intended assessment series separately.
Now the choice is clearer. Elin should use her class materials and the new 2026 The Sciences specification for that unit. If the school supplies WJEC sample assessment materials, she can practise a suitable Unit 1 question and review the answer with her teacher. The older 2016 double-award paper may contain familiar science, but it is not a reliable checklist for her new Unit 1.
If the school's reply had instead said Integrated Science (Single Award), 3450QS, she would need the Unit 1 Living on Earth material from that different specification. If she were taking separate Biology, she would need the correct Biology specification for her cohort. The lesson is simple: one two-line email to the school can save hours of revision against the wrong course.
What to ask the school—and what to use next
You can ask: “Could you confirm my child's full WJEC science GCSE qualification title and code, their starting cohort, the assessment language, the units they are studying this year and the tier where relevant? Is there a link to the specification and any sample assessment materials the class should use?”
The school can also explain whether your child is on a single award, double award or separate-science route, and how it relates to their post-16 plans. For more on the wider qualification change, read our parent guide to the new GCSEs in Wales. Once you have the exact course, you can browse OmniStudy's WJEC Integrated Science guide or The Sciences guide as a starting point. Those pages themselves say to check the official specification for complete requirements; they are not a substitute for the school's course information.
OmniStudy is free to start for one subject. If the exact qualification, cohort, assessment language and unit offered in the app match your child's confirmed course, they can use its practice and feedback to plan a next attempt. If you cannot verify that match in the app, do not treat its science questions as specification-specific: use the school and WJEC materials, and ask OmniStudy to confirm coverage. AI feedback is not an official exam mark and can be inaccurate.