CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award: complete guide to the four units and the exams
A complete guide to CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award (code 586). Covers Unit 1 Biology, Unit 2 Chemistry, Unit 3 Physics and Unit 4 Practical Skills, the Foundation and Higher tiers, how the written exams are structured, and how to study each unit. The Single Award is one GCSE built from a selected subset of the separate sciences.
CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award (specification code 586) is a single GCSE set and marked by CCEA in Northern Ireland. It is built from four units - Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Practical Skills - and is sat at either Foundation or Higher tier. The content is a carefully selected subset of the separate CCEA GCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses, giving a broad grounding in all three sciences in the time of one GCSE. This page is the index: below is a map of the four units, the exam structure, the tiers, and how to study each one.
The four units
CCEA organises the content into Unit 1 Biology, Unit 2 Chemistry, Unit 3 Physics and Unit 4 Practical Skills. Each is worth 25% of the GCSE. We have grouped each science unit into a set of focused study topics that follow the specification closely, with an overview guide and an answer page for every examinable topic.
- Unit 1: Biology
- Cells and organisation, photosynthesis and plants, nutrition and enzymes, respiration and breathing, coordination and control, ecology and food chains, and genetics and inheritance. Start with the Unit 1 Biology overview.
- Unit 2: Chemistry
- Atomic structure and the periodic table, bonding and structure, symbols, formulae and equations, acids, bases and salts, metals and reactivity, rates of reaction, and organic chemistry and fuels. Start with the Unit 2 Chemistry overview.
- Unit 3: Physics
- Motion, forces, energy, electricity, waves, atomic and nuclear physics, and space physics. Start with the Unit 3 Physics overview.
- Unit 4: Practical Skills
- The nine prescribed practicals and the planning, recording and evaluating skills they assess. Start with the Unit 4 Practical Skills overview.
Exam structure
CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award is assessed by three written units and one practical-skills unit, all sat at the same tier.
- Unit 1 Biology, Unit 2 Chemistry and Unit 3 Physics are each written papers worth 25%, using structured short-answer questions, data and calculation questions, and longer answers.
- Unit 4 Practical Skills is worth 25% and is assessed through practical booklets and a practical task rather than a normal written exam.
A calculator is allowed in the written papers.
Foundation and Higher tier
The course is tiered. Foundation tier targets the lower grades and Higher tier the higher grades, with Higher papers being longer and including the more demanding content. You sit all four units at the same tier, and the tier sets the grades available.
How to study each unit
Work statement by statement against the CCEA specification, because questions are written directly from it. For each unit: learn the definitions precisely, the key equations (in physics and chemistry) and the core processes (in biology), and drill the calculations until they are automatic. Prepare the prescribed practicals for Unit 4, and use CCEA past papers to practise the exact question styles and command words such as Describe, Explain, Calculate and Suggest.
Pick a unit overview above to begin, then work through each topic answer page and finish with the matching quiz.
Science (Single Award) guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
- CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: Unit 1 Biology overview
An overview of Unit 1 Biology of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award, mapping cells and organisation, photosynthesis and plants, nutrition and enzymes, respiration and breathing, coordination and control, ecology and food chains, and genetics and inheritance, and how they are examined.
7 min readRead → - CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: Unit 2 Chemistry overview
An overview of Unit 2 Chemistry of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award, mapping atomic structure and the periodic table, bonding and structure, symbols, formulae and equations, acids, bases and salts, metals and reactivity, rates of reaction, and organic chemistry and fuels, and how they are examined.
7 min readRead → - CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: Unit 3 Physics overview
An overview of Unit 3 Physics of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award, mapping motion, forces, energy, electricity, waves, atomic and nuclear physics, and space physics, with the key equations and how each topic is examined.
7 min readRead → - CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: Unit 4 Practical Skills overview
An overview of Unit 4 Practical Skills in CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: the nine prescribed practicals, how the unit is assessed through booklets and a practical task, and the planning, recording and evaluating skills it tests.
6 min readRead →
Science (Single Award) practice quizzes
Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.
The CCEA-GCSE system, explained
See all →- generalAI and academic integrity in 2026: what you can and cannot do
An honest 2026 guide to how Year 12 students can use AI tools well and where the line is. NESA, VCAA, and QCAA rules, what AI is actually good at, what it is bad at, and how to think about it without panicking.
- wellbeingExam stress, anxiety, and looking after yourself
An honest guide to exam stress and mental health in Year 12. What is normal, what is not, when to ask for help, and what to do if it gets really hard. With the numbers you can call.
- uni pathwaysGap year or uni straight after school?
A clear-eyed comparison of going straight to uni versus taking a gap year. Who benefits from each, how to actually defer your offer, common gap-year traps, and how to make either path work for you.
- generalHow ExamExplained is built: the AI-first methodology (2026)
How ExamExplained is built. Claude Opus (Anthropic's latest AI) reads the published syllabuses, past papers and marking guides from the official exam authorities, then writes the dot-point answers, guides and quizzes. AI-written, not individually human-reviewed, so always check the official authority for what affects your mark.
- uni pathwaysHow to choose a uni course (without picking the wrong one)
A practical guide to picking your university course in Year 12. How to research, how to order preferences, when to ignore the ATAR cutoff, and how to leave yourself an escape hatch if you change your mind.