Has anyone managed to track down and get replacement Exam certificates?

[InsertHilariousUserName]

I am trying to track down long lost O levels from 1985, and more importantly, my A1 Assessor's certificate from approx 2006. I am filling in a form with City and Guilds but my info is so "flexible" (cant think of a better term) that I am not sure what to put!

The year I actually qualified could be any of 4 as I was going through a hellish time with my personal life (H had cancer/affair/divorce) and I had all the dcs and working still.

I cant remember which name it was in - my full name or my shortened version. And then I went back to my maiden name, so it may be in that. So there are 4 possible variations.

So confusing. But if anyone has had luck tracking down old certificates please let me know how! I have searched is there a database that I can put all my info in and voila out spills the answer - but no luck so far!!

Thanks for any help

Are you in Scotland if so you can log into saas and you can ask for replacements. Anywhere else I have no clue.

Also saas show your qualifications online. So you can just check.

No unfortunately am in England, but thanks for replying

Yes you can get them but they are about £40-£50 for each subject. I asked as my husband never picked his up from school.

I would approach this from a different angle.

Firstly, are you absolutely sure you do not have the certificates somewhere? Could they be in your parents' loft for instance?

The next step is - does your old school still exist? They may have records going back a long way and could tell you what exam boards they used in 1985.

Are you still friends with anyone from school? They might have their certificates and can tell you what exam board was used.

Did the details of your A1 certificate feature on any of your old CVs? Might one of those still be on a computer somewhere?

What job did you first get using that qualification? The information could still be on your file.

I had to pay for mine all over again about 5 years ago when I started my new job - no one had ever asked to see them before, just the highest level of qualifications I had but this school wanted everything.
They had been stored in my mums loft for years but she had accidentally got rid of them.
I couldn’t remember which exam boards did which exams so I had to phone my old school and they called me back later with a list from that particular year.
I then applied through each exam board. Cost me about £200 from memory. Might have been more or less but that’s the figure in my head
I did get the job and about 2 weeks after I started mum called me to say she’d found my bloody exam certs in a box in the cupboard under the stairs. Thanks mum...

Thanks for the tips. I could ring the school, that is a good idea.

Re the A1 Ive emailed C and G so hopefully something will get sorted!

I had to do it last year. I couldn’t remember the exam boards and my school didn’t have records going back far enough, so I just had to do it by trial and error. It’s not as bad as it sounds though, as you get a refund on the fee if they don’t find your results- so having to go through several is more faff, but not more expensive.

I did it the other week. I didn't pay for the certificates. I did a subject access request first and that came back with the proof I needed. I know that if that wasn't enough, I'd have to pay. It was very straightforward. Took me about 15 minutes to complete the request and it came back a month later.

Thank you both, very helpful