To ask you about GCSEs online

[GCSEonline]

I know it’s unreasonable to post here but I know it will get traffic. Long time poster and contributor (Pom bears, washing darked on, Mexican house thief - was there for it all!). I’ve helped and been helped lots on this forum. I’d really appreciate some info from anyone in the know please 🙏

My DS is choosing his GCSEs and isn’t that captivated by the available options - rural school.

He is interested in maybe doing an extra online but I’m not sure if this is even possible - if it is, any one had good experiences? Grandparents can easily and will pay for tutoring etc I’m sure. How does the exam situation work?

Any tips and advice very gratefully received. Thank you in advance lovely MNetters.

For exams, you will need to find an exam centre who accept external candidates and who use that exam board/syllabus.
If your school don't offer the exam, you won't be able to sit it there.

Ask the online centre that you are considering using where their students take exams and they should be able to give you a list.

You could also try asking your local council (the education dept), or look at EHE exam groups as that is how EHE students have to access their exams.

You will have to pay the fees yourself and depending on your location and the exam you want to sit (which would be an iGCSE as they have no coursework, just an exam like the old O'Levels), may have some expenses travelling to the place the exam will take place.

Yes this is possible.

depending on what it is and the school they may be happy to enter him and for him to do it at school.

i’m an ex teacher and every year we’d have students entering for “community languages” ie they were bilingual in English and eg Urdu or Hindi or Russian and they’d study for the GCSE in Russian /whatever at home and then sit it at school.

speak to school first.

Thank you both so much. I hadn’t thought of asking the school. What an idiot!

great to have some other leads too. Thanks so much.

You’re best posting under the home education topic on here - home educated kids often use online tutors or schools, or distance learning, and even if they’re self taught, they’ll still have valuable advice about exam centres and other practicalities.