General information for England, not advice. Exam boards and centres change their rules and fees each year, so check with them before you book.
What a private candidate is
A private candidate sits exams at an approved school or college without being enrolled there. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which publishes the rules the main exam boards share, names home-educated students as one example. GCSEs are taken across the UK; the rules here are the JCQ ones that centres in England work to.
Neither JCQ nor the exam boards will enter you themselves. Every entry goes through a centre, and it's up to each school or college whether it accepts private candidates at all.
You don't have to take GCSEs at 16
The Department for Education's guidance for parents says home educators don't have to aim for any particular qualifications. It's just as clear that if you choose exams, you pay for them. Some councils help with exam costs, at their discretion.
A full set in one summer isn't the only route, either:
- Sit a few at a time. Entries are made subject by subject, so you can sit one or two in one summer and more later.
- Go to college from 14. Under the same guidance, home-educated children aged 14 to 16 can attend a state-funded further education or sixth-form college part-time for particular subjects, if the college agrees. The colleges' funding guidance covers home-educated children too.
- Look at Functional Skills, which are qualifications in English and maths at Entry Levels 1 to 3 and Levels 1 and 2. Ask a local college whether it offers them.
GCSE or International GCSE
GCSE content is set by the government and assessed under Ofqual's rules. For International GCSEs the board sets its own content and assessment, which, in Ofqual's words, "may legitimately be different". That was in 2019, when Ofqual also said it expected to stop regulating International GCSEs by April 2020.
They don't count in school performance tables, and in the UK they're mainly taken in independent schools. Universities and employers decide for themselves how to weigh them. Pearson's International GCSEs are graded 9 to 1, like GCSEs; some Cambridge IGCSEs are graded A* to G.
What matters most for a home-educated candidate is the parts of a GCSE that a centre has to supervise. A centre that takes you on takes those on too, and some won't.
Where a GCSE needs the centre's help
AQA publishes its conditions for each GCSE it offers to private candidates. Other boards set their own, so check yours.
| Subject | What AQA requires for a private candidate |
|---|---|
| Biology, chemistry, physics, combined science | The centre must make provision for you to carry out all the required practical activities |
| English language | The centre must give you the chance to complete the spoken language endorsement |
| Geography | Fieldwork outside school grounds on two separate occasions, and a declaration from the centre |
| French, Spanish and other languages | The centre supervises and authenticates the speaking assessment |
| Music, dance | The centre supervises and assesses the non-exam assessment |
| Computer science | No extra conditions |
Source: AQA, GCSEs for private candidates. Art and design, design and technology and drama aren't on AQA's list of GCSEs open to private candidates. And with Pearson's GCSE English language, a candidate cannot decline the spoken language endorsement.
What the International GCSE versions look like
- Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology is two written exams, and those papers test the practical skills.
- Cambridge IGCSE Biology (0610) offers a Practical Test or an Alternative to Practical paper, in which candidates don't do experiments.
- Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A can be taken by exam or by coursework, and its spoken language endorsement is optional (specification).
- Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500) has the same shape: Paper 1, then either a second exam or a coursework portfolio, with an optional speaking and listening test graded separately.
Pearson's International GCSEs in French, German, Spanish and Chinese still have a speaking component, which the centre has to run. Some Cambridge syllabuses or options aren't open to private candidates, so read the syllabus for each subject.
Finding an exam centre
Start with the JCQ centre search. It lists centres that have said they accept private candidates, and it's refreshed once a year, around December or January. JCQ is upfront that the details can go out of date, so confirm everything with the centre. A centre that isn't listed may still take you.
Then ring local schools and colleges and ask for the exams officer. Know which board and specification you want before you call: schools usually only accept private candidates for subjects they already enter their own students for, according to AQA. Try independent colleges too. Some run exam centres for external candidates and publish what they charge. There's also a third-party directory of centres linked from Cambridge's private candidate page, though Cambridge doesn't quality-assure it.
When you call, ask:
- which board and specification they can enter you for;
- their fees and their own internal deadline;
- whether they'll cover the practicals, speaking tests or endorsement your subjects need;
- how they handle access arrangements.
The DfE guidance acknowledges that a willing centre may be some distance from home.
To make the entry you'll need your personal details, proof of identity and the entry codes for each subject, plus your Unique Candidate Identifier and Unique Learner Number if you have them.
Deadlines for the summer 2027 exams
If you can, find a centre before you start studying, as WJEC Eduqas advises private candidates. That matters most for subjects with practicals or speaking tests. For written-exam-only subjects, aim to have a centre agreed by the autumn before. The dates below come from JCQ's key dates for June 2027 and AQA's summer 2027 fees.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Set by your centre | Its own entry deadline, which may be earlier than the boards' |
| 31 January 2027 | Last date for centres to order modified papers |
| 21 February 2027 | Boards' entry deadline for GCSEs |
| From 22 February 2027 | AQA charges a late entry fee on top (100% of the entry fee) |
| 21 March 2027 | Deadline for centres to apply for other access arrangements |
| After 21 April 2027 | AQA's very late fee applies (150%) |
| 10 May 2027 | First GCSE exam |
| 18 June 2027 | Last GCSE exam (23 June is the contingency day) |
| 19 August 2027 | GCSE results |
Pearson and Cambridge set their own International GCSE dates, so check those separately.
What it costs
The bill has two parts. The board charges an entry fee per subject, and the centre may add its own charge for administration and supervision. AQA's published UK entry fee for summer 2027 is £52.85 each for GCSE maths and English language; other subjects are priced differently.
Centre charges vary, so ask the exams officer. A centre that isn't paid may not let you sit the exam. Fees change every year, so get a written breakdown from each centre before you commit.
Access arrangements
Extra time, a scribe, modified papers: arrangements like these have to be agreed with the centre when you make your entry. JCQ's process for private candidates runs like this:
- The centre's SENCo decides, based on how your child normally works.
- If an assessment is needed, the centre employs or contracts the assessor. A parent can find an external assessor instead, but only if they set up a working relationship with the centre and the head of centre approves them.
- The evidence goes on JCQ's Form 8. A private educational psychologist's report isn't accepted in its place.
- The centre must not charge a disabled candidate extra for the adjustment itself. Ask whether it charges for the assessment.
A school can decide not to accept your entry where an arrangement uses its resources (AQA's guidance again), so bring it up the first time you speak to them.
This is where your home education records earn their keep. If a timed test isn't possible, JCQ allows a work log or samples of work to show the candidate's normal way of working.
How exams fit with your records
An exam course is easy to record. The board's specification is a ready-made outline of what's covered, practicals and fieldwork are dated evidence, and results and certificates belong at the end. For the rest, see our piece on home education records; the free education record builder will gather it into one document.
Planning the course yourself? AltEd's curriculum builder can turn an exam board's specification into a year's plan. Booking the exam and finding a centre are still a phone call to the exams officer.
Results day and certificates
GCSE results for summer 2027 come through the centre, on 19 August 2027. AQA, for one, doesn't issue results to students. Certificates usually reach the centre about three months later, by AQA's reckoning, and you collect them or arrange for them to be posted.
If your child is ill on the day of an exam, contact the centre's exams officer as soon as possible (ideally that day) about special consideration. Reviews of marking normally go through the centre too, though AQA also takes requests directly from private candidates.