Exam day, rules & kit
What calculators are allowed in GCSE and A-level exams?
Almost any ordinary scientific calculator is allowed. The JCQ rules say a calculator must not be able to communicate with anything, must not store or retrieve text or formulae, and must not do symbolic algebra. The standard Casio models - fx-83GT CW, fx-85GT CW, fx-991CW, and the graphical fx-CG50 - are all comfortably within the rules. Leave the case outside, clear anything stored in memory, and you are set.
Last updated 8 September 2026 · Written and fact-checked by the GCSEwiz team
The three things a calculator must not do
Every UK exam room runs on the same JCQ rules, and for calculators they come down to three bans. The spirit of all three is the same: the calculator is there to do arithmetic, not to smuggle in help.
- No communication - nothing with internet access, Bluetooth, or any way of talking to another device.
- No stored text - it must not be able to save or retrieve text or formulae. (Anything you or a previous owner stored in memory must be cleared - that is your responsibility.)
- No symbolic algebra - it must not rearrange or solve expressions symbolically, or do symbolic calculus.
Is there an approved calculator list for GCSE?
No, and searching for one wastes a good evening. Neither JCQ nor any exam board publishes an "approved calculator list" for GCSE or A-level. The rules are written as prohibitions: a calculator is permitted unless it does one of the three things above, so the question to ask about any model is "does it break a rule?", not "is it on a list?". Schools sometimes hand out a shortlist of recommended models, which is helpful advice rather than a rule; the Casio models most classrooms standardise on are recommended because they are cheap and familiar, not because anything else is banned. The table below is the closest thing to a list you will get: the models students actually own, checked against the three bans.
Model by model: allowed or not
There is no official approved list - JCQ publishes the rules, not a register of models - so here is the practical translation for the calculators students actually own or ask about. "Allowed" means the model sits comfortably inside all three bans above.
| Model | Allowed? | The read |
|---|---|---|
| Casio fx-83GT CW / fx-83GT X | Yes | The GCSE classroom standard - nothing to check |
| Casio fx-85GT CW / fx-85GT X | Yes | The same calculator with solar backup |
| Casio fx-991CW / fx-991EX | Yes | The A-level baseline; fine at GCSE too |
| Casio fx-CG50 | Yes | Graphical but no symbolic algebra - allowed at GCSE and A-level alike, though overkill at GCSE |
| Older Casios (fx-83GT PLUS, fx-85GT PLUS) | Yes | Age is not a rule - a working older model is fine |
| Texas Instruments TI-30X, Sharp scientific models | Yes | Any ordinary scientific calculator passes; Casio dominance is habit, not regulation |
| TI-Nspire CX II-T (non-CAS) | Yes | Permitted, but confirm with your exams officer - it looks enough like its banned sibling to invite a conversation |
| Anything with CAS (TI-Nspire CAS, Casio ClassPad, HP Prime) | No | Computer-algebra systems fail the symbolic-algebra ban outright |
| Phone, watch or app calculators | No | A device that can communicate is banned however it is being used - a smartwatch in the hall is treated like a phone |
Is the fx-CG50 allowed at GCSE?
Yes - this one gets asked enough to deserve its own answer. Graphical calculators are permitted in GCSE maths unless a specific paper says otherwise, and the fx-CG50 has no symbolic algebra, so it is within the rules on the calculator papers. Two honest cautions, though: no GCSE question needs one, so it earns no marks the £15 model cannot, and it must go into exam mode if your centre asks. Most CG50 owners bought it for A-level; carrying it into a GCSE paper is allowed, just unnecessary. If you own something more exotic, the buyer's guides below cover the choosing question properly.
Your responsibilities on the day
The rules put a few small jobs on you, and they are all five-minute jobs the night before. The case, lid and any instruction leaflet stay outside the exam room. Memory is cleared. The battery has enough life in it - invigilators are not obliged to have a spare calculator waiting, so a solar-backup model or a fresh battery is cheap insurance. And know which of your papers allow a calculator at all: GCSE maths includes a non-calculator paper, and turning up without your calculator on the day it is allowed costs far more marks than any rule ever will.
If in doubt, ask - early
Your school's exams officer deals with these rules every season and can confirm any model in seconds. A question asked in April is a non-event; a surprise at the exam-room door is a bad morning. This is one of those rules areas that exists to be boringly easy to comply with - two minutes of checking and it never crosses your mind again.