Always Learning

 Finding a centre 

Find the answers to common questions about finding a centre, including locating schools or colleges in your area and transferring marks from another centre.

I'm a UK private candidate. How do I find a school or college to take my exams?

If you are a private candidate based in the UK, you can search for centres in your area that have told us they consider applications from private candidates. Find a centre here.

Instructions

  1. Select a qualification from the 'find a centre' page.
  2. Select your subject. A map will open in a new window.
  3. Type your postcode into the search box in the top right-hand corner of the map window. The map will zoom into your location.
  4. Click on the balloons to view centre details.
  5. Contact the centre to discuss your request.

You can find a full list of UK centres that accept applications from private candidates beneath the map.

When contacting a centre, please remember centres are not obligated to support private candidates – they assess each application individually and may not be able to offer you all of the assessments you need.

If your subject isn’t listed, it contains coursework, controlled assessment or practical work and is not usually available to private candidates.

I'm an international student. How do I find a centre that offers Edexcel qualifications in my area?

You can search for centres approved to offer qualifications in your area here.

Instructions

  1. Filter the map to search for either "BTEC vocational" or "Academic" qualifications by selecting one of the pins in the grey bar at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Type your location into the search box in the top right-hand corner of the map window. The map will zoom in to your area. You can adjust the zoom using the slider on the left-hand side of the screen.
  3. Click on the pins on the map to view centre details.
  4. Contact the centre to discuss your request.

You can find a list of the centres that have allowed us to share their details beneath the map.

The map does not show all Edexcel approved centres, so there may be other centres in your area. If you require more information please contact your regional team by visiting www.edexcel.com/international.

I want to take a BTEC Apprenticeship. How do I find a vacancy?

You need to be 16 or over to apply for an Apprenticeship, so they are suitable for both young people leaving school and adults who may have been out of education for some time. There are a number of different ways you can get onto a BTEC Apprenticeship:

1. The National Apprenticeships Service (NAS)

The NAS is an independent service set up to promote Apprenticeships and support apprentices in the UK. You can use the NAS to search for and view a wide range of Apprenticeship vacancies and then apply.

Search for BTEC Apprenticeships with the National Apprenticeships Service 

2. FE colleges

FE colleges work with local employers to source job vacancies and match apprentices to those jobs. To see what Apprenticeships are available at your local Further Education (FE) college you could check out their website, or contact them directly.

3. Training Providers

There are a number of local training providers in your area who will work with employers to take on apprentices. You can find them through your local Connexions office, through the National Apprenticeships Service and also through local advertisements and postings.

4. Employers
A number of well-known large UK-based employers often recruit apprentices directly. For instance, BT and Flybe have a direct recruitment programme for apprentices. To apply directly to a large employer, there are a number of routes to follow:

  • search for a company you're interested in working for and check the recruitment areas of their website
  • keep your eye on the local jobs seen through newspapers and recruitment websites
  • write directly to an organisation enquiring if they would be willing to take you on as an apprentice.

I want to take a BTEC or other vocational/professional qualification. How can I find a centre?

If you want to take a BTEC or other vocational/professional qualification, we suggest you search online for the name of the qualification you’re interested in and the region in which you’d like to find a centre, for example ‘BTEC Agriculture in London’.

Alternatively, if you email us the full name of the course you are looking to take, a member of the team will send you a full list of centres approved to offer the qualification.

I’ve started a qualification at another school or college. Can I transfer my marks?

If you’ve started one of our courses at another school or college and been given grades for these units, your results will be logged on our databases.

If your new school or college is following the same specification

Your results can be used towards your overall subject grade providing you:

  • have completed any coursework units no more than one year before the date of your exam or re-sit
  • not have transferred the same coursework marks before.

Every student registered for an Edexcel qualification is given a UCI number. Marks don’t need to be transferred, you just need to make sure that if you’re taking an exam at a new centre you use the same UCI number you were given by your previous centre.

Problems occur when students have two (or more) UCI numbers. In these cases, the UCI numbers need to be merged into one unique number. Your new centre can do this for you.

If your new school or college is using a different exam board or following a different specification

You will need to speak to the exams officer at your school to find out if your marks can be transferred.

Your exams officer will contact the exam board they are using and ask them if you can transfer your marks. The exam board will look at their specification and the specification you have completed and compare the assessment criteria.

Each request will be assessed individually and it won’t always be possible to transfer your marks.

I’m not happy with my centre. What should I do?

It’s up to students to establish a relationship with a centre. The information we’ve provided in these FAQs:

  • outlines what students and centres need to do to register private candidates
  • outlines what students can reasonably expect from a centre in terms of completing the necessary administration to ensure they are registered.

Centres are not obligated to support private candidates and there’s nothing we can do to resolve disputes.

We suggest that, if you’re finding it particularly difficult to work with a centre, you look for another one.

What should I do if my school or college won’t let me take a particular qualification or subject?

If you’re a full-time student who is already registered with a school or college, you are not normally eligible to register as a private candidate.

If you can’t take an exam at your school or college, you must get written permission from your school or college to take an exam as a private candidate at another centre. If you can’t get written permission from your ‘home’ centre, then you must inform the centre where you’re registered as a private candidate that you are also taking exams at another centre.

You must ensure that your Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) or Unique Candidate Number (ULN) are the same at both centres.