Entries

Within this section, you'll find guidance on how to enter learners for exams. This includes when you can make entries, deadline dates, basedata, entry fees, resits and transfers.

What an entry is

An entry is how a school or college lets us know which learners, and how many, will sit which exams.

We need this information so that we can make sure that:

  • we send you the correct question papers for your learners
  • we have enough examiners to mark the question papers
  • your learners get their results on time.

Visit our student support area to find out how to make entries for private candidates.

Find out how to make an entry

Centre approval

You can only enter learners for exams with us if your school or college is an AQA approved centre.

Before you start to teach our qualifications, make sure you become an AQA centre.

Entry systems

In the table below, you will find which entry systems to use for each type of qualification.

Type of qualification Entry system
All qualifications (except Unit Award Scheme)Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or Centre Services
Unit Award Scheme (UAS)Gateway

Opening and deadline dates

You can make entries as soon as we publish the basedata for an exam series.

See the table below to find out when the basedata will be available for each exam series and when you need to have made entries by.

If you submit an entry after the deadline date, you will be charged a late entry fee.

Exam seriesSeries and year codeBasedata available to downloadEntries deadline dateDeadline for very late entries/amendment fees payable/withdrawal refunds
November 2023 series BGBG231 September 20234 October 202325 October 2023
January 2024 series 1A1A248 September 202321 October 202315 December 2023
March 2024 series 3G3G246 October 202321 January 202421 February 2024
June 2024 series 6A6A2423 November 202321 February 202421 April  2024
June 2024 series 6G6G2423 November 202321 February 202421 April 2024

Level 3 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)

To ensure that your learners get their VTQ results on time – you'll need to make the correct entries by the entry deadlines.

For Applied General qualifications, you must do the following before exams start:

  • make the correct unit and award entries
  • act on any warning reports we give you.

Learn more about level 3 VTQs

Age restrictions for the November series

For the November exam series, there are age restrictions for entering students for GCSE English Language and GCSE Maths. This means that only students who will be at least 16 years old on 31 August of that year can be entered.

If any students arrive to sit exams for these qualifications without an entry, you must make sure they meet the age restrictions before allowing them to do so. If a student who does not meet the age requirement sits the exam, this may be considered as maladministration.

Contact us

If you have a question about entries, get in touch: