Practical tests for the 2026 G.C.E. Advanced Level examination begin on 24 September and run to 21 October, the Department of Examinations has announced. The tests are held island-wide for candidates who sat the written papers.
The schedule
| Subjects | Dates |
|---|---|
| Dancing (Indigenous), Dancing (Bharata), Music (Oriental), Music (Carnatic), Music (Western), Drama and Theatre (Sinhala, Tamil and English) | 24 September – 3 October |
| Engineering Technology | 30 September – 10 October |
| Home Economics | 10 – 20 October |
| Bio Systems Technology | 17 – 21 October |
Hiru News and Daily Mirror agree on every date.
They differ on one subject name. Hiru lists two separate dancing subjects — Indigenous and Bharata; Daily Mirror collapses them into a single “Dancing (Indian)”. The department’s own notice, published with Hiru’s report, carries two distinct subject index numbers for dancing, confirming Hiru’s version. Candidates should check their admission card’s subject number rather than a newspaper subject name.
Admission cards
Admission cards for school candidates are posted to the principals of their schools; cards for private candidates go to the address given on the application. Both outlets say the department expects them to arrive before the tests begin.
Cards can also be downloaded from the Department of Examinations website from seven days before the relevant practical test — the practical route for any candidate whose card has not arrived.
Contacts
The department gives its hotline as 1911, with direct lines on 0112785922, 0112784537, 0112786616 and 0112784208.
Five days in the post
The notice reproduced with Hiru’s report is dated 16 September. Both newsrooms filed on 21 September — three days before the first practical sitting, and five days after the department signed the notice.
For a candidate relying on a posted admission card, that compression is the practical problem. The download facility opens seven days ahead of each test, meaning it was already available for the aesthetic subjects before either outlet reported the schedule.
Not reported
Neither outlet names the examination centres or says how many candidates sit practical tests this year. Neither states what a candidate should do if an admission card does not arrive and the download fails, whether centres are allocated by district, or whether any contingency exists for candidates in the districts currently under Red landslide warnings and school closures — several of which fall inside the first sitting window.
