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Original poster

AQA v Edexcel for GCSE

38 replies

WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 15:49

Hi,

I wondered if I might ask whether there are any striking differences between the content of AQA and Pearson Edexcel for GCSEs? Or a hint on how I could find out?

Subjects are Economics, Geography, French.

I am home schooling just now and likely to be on an EOTAS plan, still home edding at some point. I'm trying to choose the right exam boards asap so we can be on the same ones right through GCSE (currently year 9).

DC and I have an eye for beautiful typesetting and nicely produced textbooks. Everything goes much better if we are working with materials that are pleasing to the eye.

In some subjects the AQA books are nicest, but the Pearson Edexcel exam papers are nicer looking than the AQA ones.

I just wondered if there are any other major differences in the content? For example, could we work from AQA books and sit Edexcel exams?

We're doing Computer science from an OCR book, which is the most correct text book that we can find. Again I'd be interested to know if the content of OCR computer science is the same as Pearson Edexcel exam, which has the prettiest paper.

I've not been able to find really clear documentation online specifying what the differences are and I would be really grateful to know how I can find that information.

Thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 23/03/2024 06:07

Hi,

I have made a list of which exams boards our safe textbooks are from and written to the EHCP coordinator to ask if they could get access to the right exams for my son. Thank you very much for explaning about it all. This has been extremely helpful.

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Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 20:54

Hi @clary,

Thanks, yes this is really helpful to know. I have found the lists of verbs and vocabulary so that simlifies that. I'm also teaching DS how to mark his own past paper questions using the marking scheme and the marked past papers, so we are figuring things out that. I'm hoping to find a tutor who can mark his actual work so we get a sense of how things are going.

The first step to finding a tutor seems to be figuring out which exam boards we plan to use, so this thread is really helping a lot with this.

Thank you very much for your help.

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Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 20:37

@Headfirstintothewild Thanks this is really useful to know. The council are looking at maybe offering an EOTAS package. Maybe if they do that then they would help us to get access to the right exams.

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Headfirstintothewild · 22/03/2024 20:23

Unless you have experience teaching the specs involved I would be careful about basing study on another board’s book. There are differences between the specifications.

If T&E only offer certain boards they state so, but what they offer may well change in the future.

clary · 22/03/2024 20:22

Hi @WhenIsTheGeneralElection details of the exam specs are on the exam board websites - if you Google AQA GCSE German you will see details of the current spec (obvs being sat this year and next) and a link to the new spec. Are you looking at exams in 2026?

The key factor for MFL is verbs and vocab imho, but also exam knowledge so you know what is being looked for, and past paper practice so you know what to expect.

Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 20:15

This is the Tutors and Exams list of subjects but they don't seem to specify which exam boards they use for each subject. They do say when the only use one exam board, so maybe that means they use all, unless stated otherwise. I will write and ask.

https://www.tutorsandexams.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Fees-List-2023-24-v27-13.02.2024.pdf

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Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 20:13

@clary thank you very much for explaining that about the french. I will keep looking at books. We haven't really found any book that we are really comfortable with, so I will keep all these points in mind when I go on a hunt.

At the moment we are just working on doing lots of reading to get the grammar really solid and DS has started doing parallel translation in his head when he is talking, so I think he is on a very solid foundation. Again I think we just need to find the right book and a place to sit the right exam so we can get the right vocabulary in place. Thanks so much for explaining about the changes. I didn't know about that.

Is there some place online that you go to find out about these changes? I'm not sure if I ought to be subscribing to the exam boards' mailing lists or something.

I do subscribe to the ABRSM mailing list so I get all the news from them, but maybe I should be doing that with the other exam boards?

Thanks!

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Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 20:08

Headfirstintothewild · 22/03/2024 17:11

How do you plan to sit OCR GCSE computer science? Your screenshots don’t list it and T&E don’t offer it.

Hi @Headfirstintothewild,

I think for computer science we are not too worried, because it is our own specialist subject. We chose the OCR book because it is the most correct, adn best explained, for the material covered. Computer science is quite complicated and getting the fundementals covered in way that is factually correct and easy to understand is really important.

It looks as though we will need to just polish up a bit at the end to make sure we have covered everything, by buying the right book for the exam being sat, and filling in anything at the end. It should be okay though.

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clary · 22/03/2024 19:54

Hi @WhenIsTheGeneralElection MFL is my subject - I can't see French on either of those screenshots but I know that T&E offer it as I conduct speaking exams there.

I would say in general if we are talking GCSE (rather than IGCSE, which Pearson also offers) there is not much to choose between the two specs.

You may be aware, but specs are changing for exams in 2026 - so teaching to year 10 from Sept 2024. The main difference is a change to the structure of the speaking exam to include a reading aloud task, and to the listening exam to include dictation. I think both boards have also dropped the section in the reading and listening where questions and answers are in the target language.

New text books are due to be published but I am not sure where we are with them. I would say in general it's advisable to use the correct text book for the specific board as variations in required vocab knowledge and differences in topic organisation may otherwise be an issue. HTH.

Headfirstintothewild · 22/03/2024 17:11

How do you plan to sit OCR GCSE computer science? Your screenshots don’t list it and T&E don’t offer it.

Original poster
WhenIsTheGeneralElection · 22/03/2024 16:37

Thank you very much. We have access to Tutors and exams and also to a centre that does these in the attached images.

AQA v Edexcel for GCSE
AQA v Edexcel for GCSE
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Spirallingdownwards · 22/03/2024 16:14

Download the syllabuses from their respective websites.

Headfirstintothewild · 22/03/2024 16:13

You will struggle to do GCSE geography as an external candidate. Normally iGCSE geography is what those EHE normal sit.

If EHE, it will also depend what the exam centre you will use offers. Not all centres offer all subjects or boards. For example, Tutors and Exams offer AQA GCSE computer science or iGCSE computer science but not OCR GCSE computer science.

No idea about the differences between the Economics and French specs.