English Language GCSE Course

The English Language GCSE Course concentrates on language skills and students will learn to understand and respond to what they read and experience. Students are encouraged to use relevant vocabulary, correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, and to demonstrate a sense of style and an awareness of audience.

Through reading, students will learn to understand and collate meanings, summarise, paraphrase, and understand how writers achieve effects. Through writing students will learn to articulate their own experience; express thought, feelings and imagined ideas clearly; order and present facts, ideas and opinions; understand and use vocabulary and register appropriate to audience and context; use grammatical structures, paragraphs, sentences, punctuation and spelling accurately and effectively.

The English GCSE Course covers the AQA 8700 specification, and it includes 10 assignments (one introductory).

The English Language GCSE course is designed to prepare students for the AQA GCSE English Language (8700) Specification.

The English GCSE assessment is by two written examinations and a Non-exam assessment (NEA):

• Paper 1 - Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing

This paper is 1 hour, 45 minutes is 80 marks in total (50% of the total GCSE).

• Paper 2 - Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives

This paper is 1 hour, 45 minutes is 80 marks in total (50% of the total GCSE).

• Non-exam assessment (NEA)

You will also need to complete an additional assessment to demonstrate your skills in spoken language, including presenting, responding to questions and feedback, and use of standard English. The NEA is separately endorsed and reported as a separate grade and this doesn't contribute to the grade of the GSCE qualification.

There are no specific academic requirements for this course. The learner will require the ability to read and write in English.

Please Note: The minimum age for applicants is 13 years old, and learners under 18 years old will require parental or guardian consent.

All GCSE and IGCSE Courses are delivered online through the NEC online learning platform which is available 24/7 and where you will find everything you need to complete your studies.

The Learning Platform Includes: 

• Your complete course materials covering the full syllabus
• Additional study resources
• Exam and assessment information
• Direct communication with your tutor
• Support from the Student Support Team
• Connect with other learners in the portal community

As this is an online course, you will need a computer operating system, internet access and a browser. Google Chrome is recommended, but the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge can be used. Some content will be in video format via YouTube, so a suitable internet connection is required, and you will be required to work with PDF documents during your course. If your browser does not support PDF display, you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The course notes are all supplied in the course platform as shown in the below video:

There are some recommendations that you may wish to refer to for additional reading which are not included in the course fee:

• AQA GCSE English Language: Developing the Skills for Learning and Assessment, by H Blackhouse and B Emm, Oxford (2015)
• AQA GCSE English Language: Assessment Preparation for Paper 1 and 2, J Branson and P Ellison, Oxford (2015)
• Oxford A-Z of Better Spelling, C Buxton, Oxford (2013)
• Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation, J Seely, Oxford (2013)

You will receive support from the designated Student Services team and a course tutor through the online platform. 

Student Support Team: Your first point of contact. The team ensures every student is enrolled correctly, has access to their course materials, and can log in smoothly. They will also handle any technical queries.

Tutor Support Team: Manages all academic queries. Our subject tutors provide expert marking, feedback, and guidance, helping students stay on track and motivated.

Your allocated tutor will send a welcome message via the learning platform after you have enrolled on a course and will provide support, feedback, and mark assignments as you progress through your course. All tutors are subject-qualified experts with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and have been teaching in a school for a minimum of 3 years, and they are also required to have an enhanced DBS. Many are experienced teachers or trainers, and several serve as examiners for major awarding bodies.

You can contact the support teams through the secure messaging platform and you can also post messages in the course forum. There is no limit on how often you can contact support.

Please Note: If a learner requires live one-to-one support from a tutor, then this can be arranged at an additional charge.

Registered learners have course access and are supported on each course for 2 years from their enrolment.

Please Note: We recommend that learners aiming for the Summer 2026 exams are enrolled on their course by 31 October 2025.

It may be possible to complete a course if you enrol after this date, or you are using the course as a resit guide, but we would only recommend doing this if you are confident that you have the time to complete the estimated study hours, have an understanding of the work required and have researched closing dates set by exam centres for exam entries.

All GCSE and IGCSE Examinations must be taken at an external examination centre registered with the appropriate Awarding Body on the set exam dates.

Finding Exam Centres:

All exams must be booked directly by the learner with an appropriate examination centre. The student support team can guarantee exam places at a partner exam centre, but they cannot guarantee which centres will be available or whether the location will be suitable for learners. If you have specific requirements regarding travel or distance from a centre, then it is recommended that you research and contact centres prior to enrolling on a course.

You can research and contact possible exam centres prior to enrolment by visiting the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) private candidates page, which provides a search facility for centres in the UK. You can also try Tutors & Exams who have 9 exam centres listed and pricing is displayed on their website.

Examination Dates and fees:

A Level examinations are only available in the Summer examination window (May/June) and all examination fees need to be paid direct to your chosen centre. The cost of exams will vary depending on the Awarding Body and the exam centre's administration costs.

Each exam centre will set its own dates for when you need to have booked your exams, but the earlier you book, the better the chance you have of guaranteeing a place. We would recommend contacting centres as early as possible to arrange your exams and this can usually be done as early as September/October. Many exam centres will fill up and will have closed exam bookings by early February.

• Summer 2025 Exam Timetable
• Summer 2026 Exam Timetable (Not Yet Available)
• Information for Private Candidates
• Booking GCSE and IGCSE Exams
• The New GCSE and IGCSE Grading System
• What is the difference between GCSE and IGCSE

Predicted grades without a reference are available free of charge on request. If applying to a college or other further education establishment and you require a refernce with predicted grades then this is available at an additional cost of £45.00. A course advisor will discuss your predicted grades and progress with each individual tutor and put together a comprehensive reference that can be sent on your behalf. 

Please Note: Students need to have completed a minimum of four assignments per subject in order for us to have something to base our reference/prediction on.