Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint 2027 dates

March 2027 Checkpoint timetable

Primary Checkpoint in the same series: Mathematics Mon 22 Feb, Science Wed 24 Feb, English and English as a Second Language Mon 1 March 2027. Source: Cambridge Final Test Series Timetable March 2027 (Version 1, July 2026).

The 2026-27 Checkpoint calendar

Sources: Cambridge Checkpoint timetables for October 2026 and March 2027, key dates for March 2027 and the 2026 Checkpoint calendar. Checked 6 October 2026.

What to expect for May and October 2027

Cambridge has not yet published timetables for the May 2027 or October 2027 series. The 2026 pattern is the best guide. The May 2026 series ran from 11 to 21 May 2026, with Lower Secondary English and English as a Second Language early in the window and Maths and Science the following week; its timetable was published in October 2025 and feedback came on 23 July 2026. The October 2026 timetable was published in April 2026.

Cambridge's FAQ explains why the series moved: a March series for schools whose year ends in March or April, a later May series for schools whose year ends in May or June, and a fixed timetable for each series to protect test security. Schools can still choose the time of day on each test date, but cannot move a test to another day.

How Checkpoint is scored

Since May 2023, Checkpoint reports show a score on a 0 to 50 scale, replacing the older 0.0 to 6.0 scale, and each subject result also carries a performance band: Unclassified, Basic, Aspiring, Good, High or Outstanding. Cambridge converts raw marks to the 0 to 50 scale statistically, so the score is not a percentage.

Checkpoint is designed as an international benchmark at the end of Stage 9, often the year before IGCSE begins. Schools receive diagnostic reports by strand, which show where a learner is strong or weak in, say, number versus geometry. Learners receive a Statement of Achievement. A learner who misses one test for a subject in a series does not get a result for that subject.

Preparing for a February or May sitting

• Ask the school which series it has entered your child for. Cambridge lets schools enter any series, so do not assume May.
• If your child needs access arrangements, the school's deadline for the March 2027 series is 27 November 2026.
• Use the school's own progression tests and Checkpoint past papers to find weak strands, rather than revising everything evenly.
• In maths, practise both papers' styles; in English, timed reading and writing under the real 70-minute limit matters more than extra content.
• Treat the result as a diagnostic for IGCSE choices, not a final verdict.

Where a tutor helps before Checkpoint

Checkpoint rewards secure Stage 7 to 9 foundations more than last-minute cramming. A tutor can use the school's strand feedback or a past paper to find two or three weak areas, such as fractions and ratio or scientific enquiry skills, and spend the weeks before the test on those.

LiveTutor lessons are one to one, 60 minutes and online, with tutors who teach the Cambridge Lower Secondary curriculum.