AQA exams in countries where exams have been cancelled
What this means for schools and their students
We understand the last few months have been extremely difficult for schools and colleges in the Gulf and the Middle East with the ongoing conflict.
Here you’ll find all the guidance you need as it evolves.
- Ofqual’s plan where exams cannot go ahead
- Switching to Oxford AQA exams
- Gathering evidence of student performance to switch to OxfordAQA
- Submission window - 1 May until 12 June 2026
- Switching your entries
- Fees
- Special consideration for AQA entries
- Statement of recognition
- Transferred candidates
- Results and post-results services and appeals
- Our support
Ofqual’s plan where exams cannot go ahead
Ofqual has confirmed to exam boards, that its post-covid resilience arrangements such as Teacher Assessed Grades were designed for events that have a system-wide impact, and not for localised or regional disruption.
This means exam boards cannot issue results based on mock exams or other forms of evidence, to students where exams cannot go ahead in their country.
We appreciate that this may not be what schools and students were expecting and recognise the challenges it may bring. We’re here to support schools in the next steps and guide them through the options available.
Switching to Oxford AQA exams
OxfordAQA - our joint venture with Oxford University Press - has equivalent qualifications in many of the subjects that we offer. In most instances they are very closely aligned to AQA specification content.
OxfordAQA qualifications are not regulated by Ofqual, as they do not regulate International GCSEs and A-levels. This means that by switching to OxfordAQA, your students can still receive grades by submitting evidence of student performance.
There are some AQA subjects that already have an equivalent OxfordAQA qualification to switch to. Where an equivalent OxfordAQA qualification does not already exist, we will create additional OxfordAQA international A-levels and GCSEs, to make sure all AQA qualifications have an alternative OxfordAQA option, this includes Further Maths. These qualifications have been created for these exceptional circumstances and will only be available in the summer 2026 series, for students in the Middle East and the Gulf where exams have been cancelled.
OxfordAQA International GCSEs and A-levels have been independently evaluated by UK ENIC as being at the same standard as the British GCSEs and A-levels accredited by the UK exams regulator, Ofqual.
This means that schools can trust that OxfordAQA qualifications are equivalent to qualifications sat in the UK, and that they are recognised by universities around the world. This includes the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and all of the UK’s Russell Group, the USA’s Ivy League and Australia’s Group of Eight.
Gathering evidence of student performance to switch to OxfordAQA
Please start preparing the evidence for your students as set out in the OxfordAQA guidance document. Whether your learners switch to an existing OxfordAQA specification or to one of the additional OxfordAQA international A-levels and GCSEs that we’re making available, the evidence should reflect the work carried out as part of students’ preparation for assessment through the AQA specification. You do not need to address any content differences between AQA and OxfordAQA specifications. Details on how schools will submit this evidence will follow.
Submission window - 1 May until 12 June 2026
You will need to submit evidence of student performance digitally (based on the AQA qualifications) between 1 May and 12 June 2026. We will also ask you to complete a Head of Centre declaration, and you will have the option to submit predicted grades.
Our trained examiners will carefully consider all evidence submitted, awarding grades based on the evidence provided, while also taking into account the context in which the work was produced, and the challenges students have faced.
Switching your entries
We will automatically transfer all of your entries to OxfordAQA specifications. If you do not want to do this for your learners (for example, where for some students you want to apply for an estimated AQA grade based on completed NEA), please email us at HyperCareSupport@aqa.org.uk by Friday 1 May 2026 to let us know. If your centre is not already approved to offer OxfordAQA exams, our Centre Approvals team will follow up to get you temporarily set up for the summer 2026 exam series.
If your students would like to defer to another series, please cancel your AQA entries by Friday 8 May 2026, and you will receive a full refund or credit note for next summer series.
Fees
There will be no additional fees for this arrangement - only the standard entry fee for the AQA qualification. We’ll be back in touch to explain any changes for invoices.
Special consideration for AQA entries
Special consideration will be particularly relevant for students that may be eligible for an estimated grade where they have completed their AQA NEA component or speaking test component.
We have automatically applied a two-week extension to the deadlines to submit marks and grades for NEA. Please submit your special consideration request no later than seven days after you’ve submitted the NEA.
Statement of recognition
If students are not eligible for special consideration and need evidence of attainment for progression, particularly to higher education, schools can request a statement of recognition.
This statement recognises that the student has been fully prepared for their qualifications but has encountered exceptional mitigating circumstances outside their control which prevent them from completing any components in an award.
The Statement of Recognition is not an award but uses predicted grades to recognise the grades the student was expected to achieve had they been able to sit their exams. Please see Section 5.2, p.18 of the JCQ A guide to the special consideration process for more information.
While this is not a qualification certificate, it can inform discussions to facilitate progression. Ofqual is speaking with UCAS to ask for their support for students applying for UK higher education.
To apply for this, please email specialconsiderationqueries@aqa.org.uk by 1 May 2026 and they can support you through this process.
Transferred candidates
If you have students who have relocated to the UK and they would like to enter as a private candidate at a centre in the UK, please get in touch with us on HyperCareSupport@aqa.org.uk and we can arrange this for you. There will be no additional fees for this service. Please make sure you have made your requests by 1 May 2026.
Results and post-results services and appeals
We know that you’ll have questions about if this process will mean changes to how you’ll receive results. For these exceptional arrangements, results will only be available through Centre Services. If you made your entries through EDI, we’ll support you throughout the summer to make accessing results as easy as possible for you.
We’re working through the plan for post-results services and appeals and we’ll be back in touch about this closer to results days.
Our support
We really appreciate your patience as we work through these arrangements. If you have any questions or need support, please get in touch with us on HyperCareSupport@aqa.org.uk - we’re ready and waiting to help.