GCSE and ELC English subject update
Autumn 2026
Welcome to our autumn 2026 newsletter
We're excited to bring you lots of helpful information in this update, including details of our new Curriculum Connects and training courses for teachers of GCSE English specifications and ELC English. These events will reflect on the summer 2026 exam series and provide useful insights for the new term. We are also looking forward to our Rethinking Language conference in October. Visit the event page for full details and registration information.
The English Subject Support team at AQA is expanding, and we’re pleased to welcome Beth Currall, Jenny Fry, Beth English and Simon Hopper to join Leanne Ncube, Paul Stover, Wayne Power and me in supporting English teachers this year. Our team has a wide range of experience in schools and colleges across English teaching, leadership, assessment, and partnership work. We’re here to ensure that English teachers can access the support and resources they need throughout the year. In this update, please find information about our new resources, including our new Emerging Identities teaching guide, and resources to support post 16 learners on our Resit Ready GCSE English Language web page.
We wish you a great start to the new school year. We’re looking forward to connecting with many of you at various conferences and events this term and engaging with you in response to Assessment Reform in the autumn. In this update, you’ll find all the information to get you started this term.
If any members of your team would like to receive subject-specific updates, they can easily sign up for AQA subject updates , so they’re always informed and part of our community.
Victoria Healey
Subject Lead for English
Quick links:
Assessment reform: DfE consultation
myNetwork: Upcoming webinars and community news
myResources: Key resources for this term
myTraining: New training for the term ahead
mySupport: Help and guidance
Stay up to date with assessment reform
This autumn, the Department for Education (DfE) is expected to launch its subject content consultation, confirming which subjects will be included in each phase, sharing proposals for phase 1 and inviting teachers, schools and exam boards to give feedback.
There’s nothing you need to do right now. Once the consultation launches, we’ll help you understand what it means and how to have your say.
In the meantime, catch up on our subject webinars to understand what the Curriculum and Assessment Review means for your subject.
You can also join our Teacher Panel to share your views and help shape what comes next.
Help shape the future of digital assessment
We’d like to hear about your experiences of digital teaching, learning and assessment through a short survey.
By sharing your experiences, you’ll help us shape the guidance, resources and support teachers need as digital assessment continues to evolve.
The survey contains 24 questions, takes around 12 minutes to complete and closes on 1 November 2026. As a thank you, participants who complete the survey can enter a prize draw for the chance to win one of four £50 gift vouchers.
Curriculum Connects
Autumn 2026 Curriculum Connects are available to book now on our professional development web pages. Come and meet your English Subject Support team to reflect on the 2026 series and network with other teachers.
Our community links
- National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) back to school latest news.
- Poetry By Heart has resources that help young people in England enjoy, explore, and confidently perform poetry.
- Find out more about National Poetry Day, taking place on 1 October 2026, from the Forward Arts Foundation.
- Many of Shakespeare’s Globe’s resources, workshops, storytelling sessions, CPD opportunities and school projects are available both online and in person. Whether you visit the Globe, welcome Globe practitioners into your school, or take part virtually, you’ll experience their distinctive, active approach to exploring Shakespeare and bringing his works to life.
- Explore the English Association’s Secondary and FE Resources for a wide range of high-quality materials, guidance and support to enrich English teaching and learning. The collection includes resources for teachers and students, covering literature, language, curriculum development and classroom practice.
Supporting early career teachers
Are you at the start of your teaching journey? Whether you're an early career teacher of English or a PGCE student, we're here to support you.
Following the successful launch of our support programme last term, we are continuing to offer Curriculum Connect sessions both online via Microsoft Teams and face-to-face. These sessions are a great opportunity to develop your subject knowledge, share ideas, and connect with fellow English teachers.
Have your say. We're keen to ensure our support meets your needs. Please take five minutes to complete our short survey and help shape future opportunities.
What’s new?
- New assessment materials for the ELC topics Keeping active and Treasure are available in Centre Services.
- The Emerging Identities teaching guide brings together contemporary extracts and ready to use activities, which can be used to refresh your GCSE English Language curriculum. Whether you want to supplement existing lessons, build confidence with unseen-style reading, or broaden the range of voices and perspectives students encounter, this resource is designed to be used flexibly and includes suggested links to GCSE English Literature too. You can also view the Curriculum Connect webinar to explore practical ways to refresh your GCSE English Language curriculum with the author of the guide, Jo Heathcote.
- Find all of the resources and support you need for post-16 learners on our Resit Ready GCSE English Language web page. It has some fantastic new resources, including the Building Reader Confidence for GCSE English Language teaching guide developed by AQA and Oxford University Press, which offers an accessible, supportive route into reading and engaging with unseen texts.
- Writing Lives: Non-fiction texts by people of colour from the 18th and 19th centuries
Explore a new, free British Library resource designed to inspire and support GCSE English Language and beyond. Discover extracts from autobiographies, travel narratives, letters, speeches and political pamphlets, written by men and women of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage. Plus, download an example paper bringing together 19th-century and modern non-fiction texts, created in partnership with Lit in Colour.
Join us, for a Curriculum Connect with the British Library and an AQA examiner and teacher as we show you the possibilities of this brilliant resource for your classroom practice.
- Nick Hern Books: More than a dozen video clips of Princess & The Hustler by Chinonyerem Odimba – recorded during a student production at LAMDA in 2025 – are now available to watch for free at www.princessandthehustler.co.uk. This free resource brings to life key characters, scenes and themes, shows the use of Jamaican Patois and other dialects, and illustrates how the text works in performance.
- Penguin has a new GCSE Study Guide: GCSE Study Guide: My Name is Leon to support teachers and students with Kit de Waal’s novel, one of our newer options at GCSE Literature. Resources to support you in diversifying your school’s curriculum, drawn from our teaching reflections on the new diverse GCSE English Literature texts courses, available in Centre Services.
Get more with myAQA
myAQA gives you access to everything you need to plan, teach and assess, including our secure extranet – Centre Services. Here you’ll find essential resources, such as the latest past papers, as well as Teacher Online Standardisation (T-OLS) and much more.
Don’t have a myAQA account yet? Complete a short form to get started. Once your Exams Officer has verified your registration, then you’re ready to go.
Free CPD courses and events
GCSE English Language and Literature training for autumn can be found on our professional development web pages.
Prepare for your mocks with our mark scheme application courses:
- GCSE English Language mark scheme guidance and application
- GCSE English Literature mark scheme guidance and application
For those new to AQA GCSE English, you can find support with our Getting started courses for both Language and Literature.
The autumn term is packed with both live and on demand events, so keep an eye out for updates and reminders.
Transform your teaching through examining
Whether you're looking to enhance your CPD, gain a fresh perspective on assessment or bring new ideas and insights back to the classroom, examining can have a lasting impact on your teaching and career. By seeing real student responses from across the country and understanding how marks are gained and lost, you'll develop valuable insights that can help you prepare learners more effectively, while building your professional credibility and experience.
Apply to become an examiner today or join one of our free online taster events to discover what the role involves and hear from experienced examiners.
Student Advisory Group recruitment for 2026/27
Help your learners influence the future of exams
We’re looking for learners to join our Student Advisory Group for 2026/27. The group gives young people a direct opportunity to share their experiences and views on qualifications, assessments and the wider exam system. Their insights will help shape the future of the curriculum, qualifications and assessments for young people, as well as our work to offer new vocational qualifications.
If you know any learners who may be interested, please encourage them to apply – we’re looking for students who have taken AQA qualifications, though this is not essential, and they can be sitting general or vocational qualifications.
Applications open: Monday 7 September 2026
Applications close: 5.00pm on Monday 21 September 2026
Thank you for helping us raise awareness of this opportunity among your learners. For more information about the Student Advisory Group and details on how to apply, please visit our website.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within assessments
Read the latest JCQ guidance on the use of AI in assessments in the AI in assessments: protecting the integrity of qualifications document. The guidance explains how AI can be used appropriately in assessments and outlines the requirements for reporting suspected misuse.
Log in to myAQA for post-results services to find information and deadlines and our easy summary guide.
You can also find each of the grade boundaries on our website and the overall results statistics with cumulative pass rates for the whole AQA cohort.
Non-exam assessment (NEA) reminders
ELC Step Up to English: new NEA topics for 2026/27
Every year we replace one of the NEA tasks for each component as outlined in section 5.4.1 of the ELC (5970) specification.
New topics are available on Centre Services. Here's an outline of NEAs for component 1 and component 2.
For the 2027 series, schools and colleges can choose any of the following topics:
Component 1
Any two NEAs labelled:
- Charities
- Film
- Holidays
- Keeping active (new)
- Pets
The following topic has been identified to expire (do not use if entering after June 2027):
Style
Component 2
Any one NEA from those labelled:
- Dystopia
- Ghosts
- Science Fiction
- Survival
- Treasure (new)
The following topic has been identified to expire (do not use if entering after June 2027):
Crime
GCSE English Language spoken language (8700/C)
Find guidance on the Spoken Language endorsement on our website.
NEA digital upload
You can find detailed guidance on uploading student samples and FAQs for teachers on our website.
NEA advisers
For subjects with non-exam assessment, it’s likely you’ll have an NEA adviser. Advisers are experienced teachers and moderators who can provide guidance throughout the academic year on delivering NEA. Find out more about AQA NEA advisers.
Adviser contact details are available on Centre Services from mid-September, so please check back then, as their contact details may have changed from last year. If you don’t have an assigned adviser, please contact us.
Contact Team English:
Introducing Team English
Email: english-gcse@aqa.org.uk
Call: 0161 953 7504,
Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm