O Level in May/June or October/November: choosing an exam series

Cambridge runs two main exam series every year, May/June and October/November, and O Level subjects can be sat in either. In Pakistan, schools often split a student’s subjects across the two, and private candidates can choose. The choice affects how much preparation time is left, when results arrive and how soon a resit is possible.

The two series

	May/June	October/November
Exam period	Late April to early June	Late September to mid-November
Results	August	January
Next chance to resit	October/November	May/June

For the October/November 2026 series, Cambridge releases O Level and IGCSE results on 14 January 2027. The exam calendar lists entry deadlines and results days for the coming series, from Cambridge’s own published dates.

A third series, February/March, is offered only in certain countries, such as India; check with your school before relying on it.

Choosing a series

May/June suits a student who needs the most teaching time. It is the main series, and results in August still leave October/November for a resit before most students move on to A Level.

October/November suits:

• subjects that are ready early, so they are out of the way before the main series;
• a resit of a subject sat in May/June;
• students who want fewer papers in a single series.

The trade-off is time. Preparation for October/November runs through the summer holidays, and the exams start soon after the new school year begins.

Spreading subjects across both series

Splitting subjects can make each series lighter, but plan it subject by subject:

1. Put the subjects that build on each other together. A student taking Physics and Mathematics usually benefits from finishing the Mathematics needed for Physics first.
2. Leave the hardest subject the most time. That usually means May/June, with October/November as the resit option.
3. Check A Level requirements. Sixth-form colleges set their own entry conditions; make sure every subject a college asks for will have a result in time.

Preparing for either series

• Print the topic checklist for each subject and mark each topic secure, shaky or not started.
• Use the revision planner to turn the weeks left into a weekly plan.
• The grade threshold explorer shows how many marks recent grades needed.

Marlbridge teaches Cambridge O Level in subjects including Mathematics 4024, Physics 5054, Chemistry 5070, Biology 5090 and English Language 1123, in person at our Lahore academy or live online. Our guide to O Level tuition in Lahore compares the two formats, and the free trial class lets your child try a class before you pay.