Cambridge · Exams · Curriculum
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint now runs in three fixed test series a year. The October 2026 series runs from 13 to 21 October 2026, and the March 2027 series runs from 22 February to 2 March 2027. Since 2026, every test sits on a date Cambridge specifies rather than inside a window each school picks for itself.
What changed about Cambridge Checkpoint in 2026?
Three things changed, and all of them took effect with the March 2026 series. If you are reading an older guide that describes a flexible April-to-May window, that guide is out of date.
Cambridge set out the change itself:
- A new March series was added, available globally.
- The May series moved to mid-May, to leave schools more teaching time.
- Tests moved to timetabled dates set by Cambridge, one date per subject.
The third point is the one that matters most to a parent. Schools used to choose their own day inside a broad window. Now the date is fixed, and the school only chooses what time of day the test starts.
"If a candidate misses a test, you cannot run the test on a different day." Source: Cambridge Final Test Series Timetable March 2027, version 1, July 2026
There is no regional variation to plan around either. Cambridge confirmed that it does not produce administrative-zone versions of Checkpoint tests, so a child in Dubai and a child in Pune sit the same paper on the same day (Checkpoint updates FAQs, as of August 2026).
One subject sits outside the new March series: Global Perspectives, at both Primary (0838) and Lower Secondary (1129) level, still runs only in May and October. That leaves 8 of 10 Checkpoint syllabuses available in all three series.
When are the October 2026 Checkpoint tests?
The October 2026 series starts on Tuesday 13 October and ends on Wednesday 21 October 2026. These dates come from the final timetable, which is the version schools must follow.
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint, October 2026
| Subject | Code | Test date | Papers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 0096 | Tuesday 13 October 2026 | 2 papers, 45 minutes each |
| Science | 0097 | Thursday 15 October 2026 | 2 papers, 35 minutes each |
| English | 0058 | Tuesday 20 October 2026 | 2 papers, 1 hour each |
| English as a Second Language | 0057 | Tuesday 20 October 2026 | 3 papers, 25 to 35 minutes |
Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint, October 2026
| Subject | Code | Test date | Papers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 0862 | Wednesday 14 October 2026 | 2 papers, 1 hour each |
| Science | 0893 | Monday 19 October 2026 | 2 papers, 45 minutes each |
| English | 0861 | Wednesday 21 October 2026 | 2 papers, 1 hour 10 minutes each |
| English as a Second Language | 0876 | Wednesday 21 October 2026 | 3 papers, 35 to 45 minutes |
Source: October 2026 Checkpoint final timetable (Cambridge International Education).
Note the gap in the primary timetable. Maths falls on 13 October and English a full week later on 20 October, so revision does not have to be crammed into one block.
When are the March 2027 Checkpoint tests?
Mostly in February. This catches families out every year now, because the series is called "March 2027" but 4 of 6 test days fall in the last week of February.
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint, March 2027
| Subject | Code | Test date |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 0096 | Monday 22 February 2027 |
| Science | 0097 | Wednesday 24 February 2027 |
| English | 0058 | Monday 1 March 2027 |
| English as a Second Language | 0057 | Monday 1 March 2027 |
Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint, March 2027
| Subject | Code | Test date |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 0862 | Tuesday 23 February 2027 |
| Science | 0893 | Thursday 25 February 2027 |
| English | 0861 | Tuesday 2 March 2027 |
| English as a Second Language | 0876 | Tuesday 2 March 2027 |
Source: March 2027 Checkpoint final timetable, published July 2026.
Paper durations are unchanged from the October series. If your child's school is entering for March 2027, the practical planning date is the third week of February, not March.
When do Checkpoint results come out?
For the October 2026 series, results and the diagnostic feedback report reach the school on 17 December 2026. End-of-series reports follow in late December.
| Series | Test dates | Results to school |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | 2 to 12 March 2026 | 7 May 2026 |
| May 2026 | 11 to 21 May 2026 | 23 July 2026 |
| October 2026 | 13 to 21 October 2026 | 17 December 2026 |
Sources: Key dates for October 2026 Checkpoint and the Checkpoint updates FAQs.
Two things worth knowing. First, results go to the school, not to you directly, so ask the school when it plans to hand out the Statement of Achievement. Second, the gap between test and result is around two months, which means an October entry produces feedback that lands after the school year is well underway.
Cambridge has not yet published a results date or an entries deadline for the March 2027 series. As of August 2026, only the final timetable exists.
Which stages actually sit Checkpoint?
Only the last stage of each programme. Cambridge Primary Checkpoint is taken at the end of Cambridge Primary, which is Stage 6, so it touches 1 of 6 primary stages. Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint sits at the end of Stage 9.
If your child is in Grade 3 or Grade 4 and the school mentions a Cambridge test, it is almost certainly a Progression Test, not Checkpoint. Progression Tests cover Stages 3 to 9, are marked by teachers inside the school, and remain available every January. No external Cambridge examination exists before the end of Stage 6.
Our guide to Cambridge grades and stages explains how the school's grade label maps onto the Cambridge stage number, which is the thing you need before buying any practice material.
How can we prepare for Checkpoint at home?
Practise against the framework, not against a countdown. Checkpoint maths is drawn from the Cambridge Primary Mathematics (0096) framework and science from Cambridge Primary Science (0097), so the useful question is which objectives in that framework your child has actually secured.
LearnAlice does not teach or tutor. It grades the worksheets your child has already done and reports each skill back as Mastered, Still developing, or Not practised yet, in the same Learning Objective vocabulary the Cambridge framework uses. For a Stage 6 child heading into Checkpoint, that is a list of what to revise rather than a general instruction to revise everything.
The Grade 6 (Stage 6) Cambridge maths worksheets and Grade 6 (Stage 6) Cambridge science worksheets list the objectives for the Checkpoint year, so you can confirm the content before printing anything.
A note on timing. Because the date is now fixed by Cambridge, a family cannot quietly shift a test by a week if a child is unwell or unprepared. Start earlier than you would have under the old window system.
If your child's difficulty looks persistent rather than topic-specific, worksheets are the wrong instrument. Speak to the class teacher and, where appropriate, a qualified professional.
FAQ
When is Cambridge Checkpoint in October 2026?
The October 2026 series runs from Tuesday 13 October to Wednesday 21 October 2026. Primary maths is on 13 October, primary science on 15 October, and primary English and English as a Second Language on 20 October. Lower Secondary subjects fall on 14, 19 and 21 October.
Are the March 2027 Checkpoint exams actually in March?
Only partly. Maths and science for both Primary and Lower Secondary fall between 22 and 25 February 2027. Only the English and English as a Second Language papers sit in March, on 1 and 2 March 2027. Plan your revision around late February.
Can our school choose its own Checkpoint date?
No, not since 2026. Cambridge sets one timetabled date per subject for each series, and schools must run the test on that date. The school can still choose what time of day the test starts, and it does not have to tell Cambridge which time it picked.
How many Cambridge Checkpoint series are there each year?
Three: March, May and October. All Cambridge schools may enter any series. Global Perspectives is the exception, running in the May and October series only, so it is not available in the March series at either Primary or Lower Secondary level.
When will my child get Checkpoint results?
Roughly two months after the tests. For the October 2026 series, results and the diagnostic feedback report reach the school on 17 December 2026. Results are released to the school rather than to parents, so ask the school when it will share the Statement of Achievement.
Dates on this page come from the final timetables Cambridge publishes for each series. Final timetables can be updated, so check with your child's exams officer before booking travel or leave around a test day.
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