AQA v Edexcel for GCSE

[WhenIsTheGeneralElection]

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!

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.

Download the syllabuses from their respective websites.

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

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

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.

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.

@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!

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

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.

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.

@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.

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.

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.

I teach in a secondary school, but tutor part time home schooled kids who have failed English GCSE because teaching the requirements of the reading questions is not just something that can be done well unless you know what you’re doing. There is a very big difference between the AQA and English language questions.

My son did a combination of AQA GCSEs, Edexcel IGCSEs and a couple of CIE ones.

In terms of the textbooks and revision books I've seen, Edexcel and AQA are similar but slimmer pickings for CIE. Mine just used the CGP revision books which I think come in AQA and Edexcel for most subjects.

FWIW I thought the Edexcel iGCSE French was very difficult. Mine was more about train times and ham baguettes. my sons had to speak about social injustice and climate change.

If you go onto the websites for the exam boards you can find the full specification and often past or sample papers and marking schemes.

You don't have to stick to the same board for every exam

my sons had to speak about social injustice and climate change.

@blue345 that's on the spec for all boards of GCSE now as far as I am aware (and I know most of them pretty well).

You still have your hobbies and what you hope to do in the future on there as well, but the spec is aiming to widen the scope.

@WhenIsTheGeneralElection I agree @Imamunt that you need to be wary when self-marking, even with MFL, unless your command of the language is very strong (is it?) as what is and is not acceptable as an answer is sometimes hard to judge unless you are an experienced examiner or teacher. Obviously some questions are very clear, but for example the writing questions wouldn't be easy to mark IMO unless as I say your language was excellent.

What is possible with EOTAS will depend on what is detailed, specified and quantified in F. The word of the caseworker is irrelevant if it isn’t in F. LAs are renowned for saying one thing and doing another, and if it isn’t in F it cannot be enforced. Many have to appeal in order to secure the necessary provision. You say the LA is looking at EOTAS, do you currently have the right of appeal?

It also depends on how the package is set up. Parents can’t be compelled to organise provision, but some do take that role on to the point they arrange the exams similar to how parents who EHE do.

Hi,

Thank you all for this really helpful advice. I am in the process of finding tutors for all the subjects to mark written work, because I totally get that the marking is very complicated and that we need specialist help with that.

@Headfirstintothewild yes this is what worries me. Ideally I would like to be aiming for the private exam centre run by tutors and exams for the actual exams because at least there I can pay the money and make the choice. I asked there and they said we have to be very careful because they can't say for sure what exams will be offered in a couple of years, so we're having to play think extremely carefully about what exams we are aiming for and keeping other options open just in case.

They are looking at EOTAS because I have requested that. This is just the first go round after the ed psych report, so we would still have right of appeal.

Ideally I would like to find a route for my son that I can do entirely through private means because we are having epic trouble with the underfunded and short staffed public services. I do get that things are so hard in schools and council right now, and I totally sympathise. However, I need to find a safe calm route for my son to get him through these next two years, so I'm doing my homework in detail, and well in advance to make sure to get it right.

Thanks so much for all this help.

These are the exams that we'd be looking for. It's quite a collection.

If I was looking to start a company at the moment I think I'd be starting a private exam centre. I think there is money to be made in it as so many people need this.

Maths - Pearson Edexcel GCSE
Chemistry and Physics - Pearson Edexcel GCSE exam
Geograpy GCSE - AQA
Economics GCSE - OCR
French - AQA or Pearson Edexcel GCSE
Computer Science - Pearson Edexcel GCSE exam

English I think we'd be looking at Pearson Edexcel 2.0, and probably Pearson GCSE Eng Lit, if we manage it.

Where are you in the EHCP process? Do you have the draft yet? Is the LA sticking to the timescales?

As well as the problem I posted about above with GCSE geography, there is a similar problem for GCSE chemistry and physics when EHE. It is sometimes possible for students to sit GCSE sciences as an external candidate (e.g. via T&E if you use one of their associated distance learning providers) but many find it easier to sit IGCSE sciences.

Although you can choose to sit GCSE English Language via T&E, many choose to sit IGCSE English language to avoid the need for the spoken component.

You would need another exam centre for Edexcel GCSE Computer Science because neither T&E or the screenshots you posted offer it.

@Headfirstintothewild Gosh, it's complicated isn't it?

We just had the Educational psychology report done and it's been scheduled to be seen by a panel a week from now. We're just at the beginning really. We got the "yes to assess" two days before Christmas 2023.

It really concerns me that it's so complicated, because DS has a lot of problems and the last thing he needs is to have to fret about access to exams, or travelling, or changing exam board at the last minute.

I wish I could just pay privately to get someone to run him through the practicals and let him sit the exams in a calm safe place. There are so many EBSA kids these days. I feel as though there must be a market for this kind of thing.

I think I might need to figure out which exams we actually have access to and then buy the text books for those, read them myself, and then use the safe textbooks to teach DS. It's the only way I can think of to do it with any absolute certainty of having access. I don't want to be relying on people who are likely to let us down at the last minute and mess us around. It's all a bit complicated, but I figure it's doable if I get my ducks in a row early.

If week 6 was before Christmas you need to chase the LA (you can use one of IPSEA’s model letters) because you should have a draft by now and next week is week 20 when they should be finalising.

Has advice and information been sought from anyone else e.g. SALT, OT?

It takes research and planning but DC who have EOTAS or are EHE can sit GCSEs/IGCSEs.

@Headfirstintothewild It's okay, I'm not worried about the delays or anything like that. The Ed Psych was really good and very thorough and we wrote the report together to make sure it represented the situation in a really clear way. She agreed with me that EOTAS was probably necessary. I'd probably better not go into why, as it is private information about DS.

I'm just really keen to do my research early because if I can get the submission to the panel absolutely right, then the result is much more likely to be workable.

That's great to know that EOTAS can make GCSEs workable. I think it would be wonderful if we could get things in place to make that possible. I have written to the EHCP panel co-ordinator with a list of the exact exams that we would like.