Always Learning

 Qualifications and subjects 

Find the answers to common questions about our qualifications and subjects, including courses we offer and when you can take exams.

What subjects and qualifications does Edexcel offer?

You can find out more about our qualifications and which subjects we offer by visiting the ‘Qualifications’ section of our website.

Which Edexcel qualifications can I take as a private candidate?

Private candidates are usually only able to take subjects that don’t contain coursework, controlled assessment or practical work.
 
You can find a list of the GCSEs, International GCSEs and A level subjects available to private candidates on our 'Find a centre' pages.

Can I take a BTEC as a private candidate?

Most BTECs contain a large proportion of internal assessment, where your school or college sets and marks the assignments. This is a lot of work and schools and colleges usually insist that students taking these courses are enrolled full-time at their institution.

There is a range of distance learning providers who offer customised versions of our BTECs. These have been specifically designed to allow for home study. You should contact the distance learning providers directly for more information on these courses. If you're not sure where to start, try searching online for the qualification you want to take and the phrase ‘distance learning’ - for example, ‘BTEC Agriculture distance learning’.

Can I take controlled assessments or coursework as a private candidate?

Subjects that contain coursework or controlled assessment can’t be taken by private candidates. This is because they require input from a teacher and must take place in a controlled environment.
 
However, if you took coursework or controlled assessment units while you were enrolled as a full-time student at a different centre and were given grades for these units, we’ll have your results on our databases. In these cases, your existing marks can be used to contribute to your overall subject grade, which you’ll get when you complete all of the required units.
 
Alternatively, you may be able to take subjects with coursework or controlled assessment via a distance learning organisation that can arrange for your work to be authenticated.

The following organisations provide approved distance learning courses for some Edexcel qualifications and subjects. You’ll need to contact them to see if they can help you:
 
International Correspondence Schools Ltd 
Skypar 5, 1st Floor
45 Finnieston Street
Glasgow G3 8JU
Tel: 0500 30 33 33
www.icslearn.co.uk
National Extension College
The Michael Young Centre
Purbeck Road
Cambridge CB2 2HN
Tel: 01223 400350
www.nec.ac.uk
 
Edexcel cannot mark coursework.

When can I take my exams?

You can take exams at different times during the year, depending on the qualification.

To find out when you can take your exam visit our 'Exam timetables' page.

If you are planning to complete a GCSE during or after June 2014

All GCSEs will need to be completed as linear qualifications. This means you will need to sit all of the units in the same exam session and most units will only be available in June.

How many times can I retake an exam?

This depends on the subject. We recommend you read the specification for your subject, as information about the number of times you can retake an exam will be in it.
 
You can find the specifications for all of our qualifications in the 'Qualifications' section of our website.

What are unit codes, option codes and cash-in codes?

They’re codes for categorising our qualifications and are often referred to as ‘entry codes’.

Your centre can find codes for the subjects you want to take in our information manual.

The image below shows where to find the entry codes in the information manual.


Are there age restrictions for taking exams?

No. However, there’s very little point in taking an exam if you’re unprepared for it. We recommend that you review your chosen subject’s assessment criteria to ensure you can take the exam confidently.

The assessment criteria can be found in each subject’s specification. You can find the specifications for all of our qualifications in the 'Qualifications' section of our website.

Can I get extra support (‘access arrangements’) for my exams?

Yes, but your host centre must apply for it on your behalf through the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

This extra support is called ‘access arrangements’ and it’ll be given to candidates based on their historical need for the requested arrangement. Here are some examples of the support you can apply for:

  • Extra time
  • Supervised rest breaks
  • Reader/Computer reader
  • Read Aloud
  • Scribe/Voice input system
  • Word processor
  • Transcript
  • Prompter
  • Oral Language Modifier
  • Live speaker for pre-recorded examination components
  • Sign Language Interpreter
  • Practical assistant
  • Bilingual translation dictionaries
  • Early opening of papers
  • Exemptions
  • Modified papers