All AQA specification GCSE Exams must be taken at a registered examination centre as a private candidate. We offer course materials and tutor support although we don't offer the examinations. An Examinations Officer can assist any registered student with finding centres and dealing with coursework forms, but we do not book exams on behalf of students and it is the students responsibility to book their own exams.
Students are contacted in December/January prior to their examination window and advised to start arranging their examinations. AQA have over 300 examination centres in the UK. If you would like to research exam centres prior to enrolment then you can visit the AQA Page for Finding a School or College which shows a selection of centres set out geographically. Private Candidates cannot complete AQA Specification Exams outside of the UK. Students wanting to sit exams outside of the UK should consider IGCSE Specifications.
Examination Dates and Fees:
GCSE exams are available in a Summer examination window (May/June) and some subjects are also available in a November examination window. Examination fees need to be paid direct to your chosen exam centre. Prices for exams will vary depending on the exam centre's administration costs.
Students can decide to study towards an examination window up to a two-year period (providing the specification and exams are available over that duration). Each GCSE Course will take approximately 200 hours of study to complete so if you are unsure that you can complete the course prior to the next available exam window then we recommend aiming towards a later option. You can sign up for a course at any time although course tutors set closing dates for students aiming for each examination window.
Please Note - Closing Dates for Examination Windows:
- The closing date set by tutors for learners aiming towards Summer 2025 examinations will be 13 November 2024.
- The closing date set by tutors for learners aiming towards November 2025 examinations will be 12 June 2025.
The closing dates are set by tutors based on when they think it is reasonable for learners to be aiming for a particular examination window whilst taking into consideration the impact on student support. When closing dates have passed, we can only accept learners aiming towards the next available examination window e.g. Summer 2026, or if more time is needed then learners can choose to aim for the next exam window e.g. Summer 2027 providing the specification is still available. All learners are required to choose their intended exam window as part of their course application.
Please Note: Only Maths GCSE is currently available in the November exam window.