GCSE Computer Science₈₅₂₅

Use our updated specification this September

We are pleased to confirm that the updated GCSE Computer Science (8525) specification is now available.

Download the updated GCSE Computer Science (8525)

Use our current specification for your next exams in 2026

Continue using the current specification content that was first taught in 2020 for your next year 11 cohort taking exams in 2026.

Updated specification for first teach September 2025

Following the Department for Education (DfE) changes to GCSE Computer Science subject content announced on 31 March 2025, and valuable feedback from our teaching community about the content volume and relevance, we have now finalised the updates to the subject content in our GCSE Computer Science specification.

The updates will apply to exams taking place in summer 2027 and onwards.

These changes are designed to ensure the qualification remains current, manageable, and highly relevant for both teachers and students.

Key changes at a glance

Changes have been made in the following sections of the specification:

• 3.3.7 Representing sound
  • Removed need for storage to be ‘inside a computer’
• 3.4.5 Systems architecture
  • Removed Von-Neumann architecture
  • Removed optical Storage
• 3.5 Fundamentals of computer networks
  • Removed LAN topologies
  • Removed the protocols Ethernet, Wi-Fi, UDP, FTP

The assessments aren’t changing – paper 2 will simply not cover the removed content from 2027 onwards. We have amended the paper 2 specimen assessment materials (SAMs) to highlight the questions that would not be asked beyond 2027.

Why these changes?

The DfE's decision to make small changes at this stage acknowledges the ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review. While further recommendations from this review are anticipated in autumn 2025, these initial updates address immediate feedback and make sure the specification is fit for purpose for future exams series. We believe these updates will provide a clearer and more focused learning experience for your students.

Supporting you through this change

To make sure you have everything you need to support teaching and prepare your students for the exams in 2027, we've a full support package and resources available to guide you through the changes.

We are also busy working on the updated Scheme of Work, Programming guides, and Teaching guides for Relational Databases, Structured Query Language (SQL), Data Validation and Authentication, and Networking. These will be available from 1 September 2025, and we’re creating new ones to support you throughout the delivery of the course.

Support and resources

Find below a list of useful links: