Autumn 2020 exam series
Ofqual confirmed on 30 June that any student unable to receive a centre assessment grade or calculated result, and others who would like to improve their grades, will have an opportunity to take the full suite of GCSE, AS and A-level (including Level 3 Mathematical Studies Core maths) exams in the autumn.
Department for Education public health guidance
The Department for Education (DfE) published on 29 September public health guidance for exams this autumn, which includes expectations on how autumn exams will be run, and guidance for smaller groups. You’ll also find information for areas with local restrictions, applying for special consideration and the need to continue to provide reasonable adjustments.
Read DfE's public health guidance for autumn exams.
Important dates
Entry deadlines
The entry deadlines for November series for AS and A-level are now closed.
Exam dates
The autumn exams (collectively known as the November series) will take place between the following dates:
- AS and A-level exams: Monday 5 October to Friday 23 October
- GCSE exams: Monday 2 November to Monday 23 November.
Read the full dates and timetables.
Results days
| Exam series | Qualifications | Results day |
|---|---|---|
| November 2020 | AS A-level Level 3 Certificate | 17 December 2020 |
| November 2020 | GCSE English Language GCSE Mathematics Functional Skills AQA Certificate and Level 3 Extended Project | 14 January 2021 |
| November 2020 | all other GCSE subjects | 11 February 2021 |
| January 2021 | Functional Skills ELC Applied General Technical and Vocational Qualifications Projects | 4 March 2021 |
| March 2021 | Functional Skills | 8 April 2021 |
Setting standards for grade boundaries and results overall
Ofqual has published guidance about setting standards in the autumn series. Learn more about what this means for standard-setting for grade boundaries, and for results overall.
Autumn 2020 exams papers
We’ll be using the exams papers we printed for the planned summer exams. Learn more about these exams papers, and get support materials for your school or college for the day of the exam.
Preparing for exams in November series
If your school enters for any subjects in November, schools and students will need to prepare for all elements of the exam papers, as they’ll be the same as in a normal exam series.
Non-examined assessments
Ofqual has confirmed that for this series, grades will be based on exam performance alone, with no non-exam assessment (NEA). The only exception to this is Art and Design, where there will still be NEA.
Special consideration
Unfortunately, exam boards will not be able to accept lost teaching time because of the coronavirus as grounds for special consideration.
Exam fees
While we normally review our fees before the start of each new school year, we’re keeping the current entry fees for our qualifications frozen for the autumn series.
You’ll be able to use our 26% refund from your summer entry fees to pay for any entries for autumn exams – and the government has promised to cover any shortfall.
Guidance from the Department for Education
You can find more information on school and college responsibility for autumn exams on the DfE website.