GCSE required practicals are a fixed list of hands-on experiments — set by each exam board — that every student must carry out during Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSE courses. They aren't separately graded or coursework-assessed; instead, questions about the equipment, method, results and evaluation of these exact practicals appear directly in the written exam papers, typically worth 15% or more of the final marks.
What counts as a "required practical"?
Required practicals are specified by Ofqual as part of the GCSE Science subject content for England, then translated by each exam board (AQA, OCR, Edexcel, WJEC/Eduqas) into its own practical handbook. Schools must give every student the opportunity to actually perform each one — not just watch a demonstration or a video — because the exam questions assume first-hand experience of the apparatus and the sources of error involved.
There are normally:
- 8 required practicals for GCSE Combined Science (Trilogy/Double Award)
- 10 required practicals per subject (so up to 30 in total) for separate/Triple Science Biology, Chemistry and Physics
The exact number and content vary slightly by exam board and specification, so always check the current specification for the board your school uses.
Why they exist
Required practicals were introduced as part of the 2016 GCSE reforms, replacing the old controlled-assessment coursework model (which contributed directly to the final grade). Ofqual removed practical coursework marks because of concerns about inconsistent marking and rehearsed write-ups. Instead, practical competence is now checked two ways:
- Written exam questions based on the required practicals (contributes to the overall grade)
- A separate endorsement — schools report whether a student has satisfactorily completed the required practicals, recorded as a pass/not-classified note alongside the GCSE grade, but this does not affect the numerical 9–1 grade itself
List of required practicals GCSE (by subject)
The specific practicals differ by exam board, but common examples across Biology, Chemistry and Physics include:
| Subject | Typical required practicals |
|---|---|
| Biology | Microscopy of cells, osmosis in potato/plant tissue, food tests, enzyme reaction rates, effect of exercise on heart rate, plant/animal response investigations |
| Chemistry | Preparing a soluble salt, titration, electrolysis, rates of reaction (e.g. disappearing cross), chromatography, temperature changes in reactions |
| Physics | Investigating density, resistance in circuits, specific heat capacity, waves in a ripple tank/string, radiation and absorption, motion (acceleration down a ramp) |
Because wording and grouping differ across AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC/Eduqas, students should work from their own school's practical handbook rather than a generic list — the apparatus named in an exam question must match what the student actually used in the required practical.
How required practicals are examined
Required practicals are not examined through observation of the student doing the experiment. Instead, written exam questions test understanding of the practical itself, using several recurring question types:
- Method recall — describing the correct steps or apparatus set-up
- Variable identification — naming the independent, dependent and control variables
- Data handling — plotting or reading graphs, calculating means, rates or gradients from given results
- Error and improvement analysis — explaining sources of error (e.g. parallax, reaction time, heat loss) and how to improve accuracy or repeatability
- Application to unfamiliar contexts — applying the same practical technique to a new scenario the student hasn't seen before
Exam boards frequently reuse the exact apparatus diagrams and result tables from the specified practicals, so genuine hands-on experience — not just reading about the method — makes these questions far more answerable. Across a typical GCSE Combined Science paper, practical-based questions can account for around 15% of the total marks; for Triple Science this proportion is broadly similar within each separate subject paper.
Practical skills tested alongside content knowledge
Beyond the named list of practicals, exams also test general "working scientifically" skills that apply across all experiments:
- Using apparatus correctly and safely (e.g. reading a burette, using a Bunsen burner safely, calibrating a balance)
- Recording data to an appropriate number of significant figures and units
- Identifying anomalous results and explaining why they might be excluded from an average
- Evaluating the overall validity, reliability and reproducibility of an experiment
These skills are examinable even in questions that don't name a specific required practical, because they're part of the broader "working scientifically" assessment objective that runs through every GCSE Science specification.
How to prepare effectively
- Keep a practical logbook. Write up method, results and a short evaluation for each required practical as it's completed in school — don't wait until revision season to reconstruct it from memory.
- Practise past-paper practical questions by topic, not just by paper, so patterns in how a technique (e.g. titration) is examined become familiar.
- Redraw apparatus diagrams from memory — many marks are lost through vague or incorrect labelling of set-ups like a calorimeter or electrolysis cell.
- Focus on the "why", not just the "what" — examiners reward explanations of why a control variable matters or why a method reduces error, not just a description of steps.
Frequently asked questions
What is a GCSE required practical?
A required practical is one of a fixed set of experiments that every GCSE Science student must carry out during their course, specified by the exam board. Questions about the apparatus, method, results and evaluation of these exact experiments then appear in the written exam papers rather than being marked as separate coursework.
How many required practicals are there at GCSE?
Most exam boards specify around 8 required practicals for GCSE Combined Science and around 10 per subject (up to 30 in total) for separate Triple Science Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The exact number and content depend on the exam board, so students should check their own specification.
Do required practicals affect my GCSE grade directly?
Yes, indirectly: questions based on required practicals appear in the written exam papers and count towards the overall mark and grade. Separately, schools also confirm a pass/not-classified practical endorsement, but this endorsement does not itself change the numerical 9–1 grade.
Can I revise required practicals without redoing the experiment?
You can revise the method, results and evaluation from notes, but genuinely doing the practical in school first makes exam questions far easier to answer, since questions often reuse the same apparatus diagrams and typical results. Where a practical was missed, working through the exam board's official practical handbook and past-paper questions on that topic is the next best option.
For tailored exam preparation support across KS3 subjects, see aitutors.me.