Exams Administration

We don't create candidate numbers: you need to create a number yourself for each student at the beginning of the academic year. Use it on all record and assessment forms.

A candidate number is always four digits long, from 0001 to 9999. It's best if you use the same number for a candidate for all awarding bodies.

Once you've decided on a candidate number, it can't be changed for the current exam series.

If you don't add a candidate number to an entry, we won't be able to process the entry.

You should enter your students with their full legal name including middle names, so that we can verify against suitable identification such as a birth certificate, passport or driver's licence. It may cause problems with employers and centres of education if the name on certificates does not match other identification.

The name entered will be used on the student's printed certificate. Make sure you also enter the same name into the Learning Records Service (LRS).

A student's name can be up to 40 characters in length, including hyphens, colons, spaces or apostrophes. The format is SURNAME: FORENAME(S) AND/OR INITIAL(S).

For example:

• BURNS: EMMA KAY
• BARBER-DOHERTY: B K LORNA
• DE LA BLANCHE: JULIE

If you need to abbreviate a name to fit in 40 characters, email results@aqa.org.uk when you make the entry to ask about getting their full name on their results certificate.

If a student does not have a forename, put the colon at the end of the complete name, for example:

• TANG PO HENG:

If you're submitting entries through EDI, see JCQ formats for the exchange of exam related data for information about acceptable characters.

You must provide a date of birth for all students. We won't issue a certificate if the date of birth is missing from the student's entry.

The format is:

DD/MM/YY for EDI entries

DD/MMM/YYYY for Centre Services entries

The status code tells us whether a student is at a school or college, or a private candidate.

• Use C for a centre student: any part-time or full-time student enrolled at your school or college
• Use P for a private candidate.

Every student has one 13-character code that's unique to them. It's used to collect results for each student across time and different exam boards, schools or colleges.

All students need a UCI. You need to make sure that you add a UCI to every entry you make.

Create a UCI

Before you create a UCI for a student, check that they definitely don't already have one. If they do, keep using it – do not create a second one.

If you're making entries through EDI, your management information system (MIS) should be able to create a UCI automatically or find out a student's existing UCI. It goes in positions 60-72 in the entries and amendments detail record.

The JCQ website has in-depth information about UCIs along with a calculator tool to check UCI characters.

If you're making entries in Centre Services, you'll need to create a UCI manually using the guide below.

How the UCI works

Students with two UCIs

If you find out that a student has more than one UCI, let us know as soon as possible: fill in the UCI merge request form on Centre Services or email entries@aqa.org.uk. In the meantime, use only their earliest UCI.

The Unique Learner Number (ULN) is used to match a student to their Personal Learning Record (PLR). The PLR is an online lifelong record of their achievement that can be shared with colleges, universities and employers. PLRs are administered by the Learning Records Service (LRS).

Please make sure the ULN is correct or the student's results won't be added to their PLR.

Who needs a ULN

ULNs are mandatory for all students entered for an exam at a state-funded school or college in England. They'll appear on students' results slips and certificate.

ULNs are not mandatory for private candidates.

Get a ULN for a student

There are two ways to get a ULN for a student: through LRS, or through your MIS provider.

Through LRS

You can send your student's details in a Common Transfer File (CTF) to LRS – either through your school or college's management information system (MIS), or uploading an Excel file directly. Please allow five working days to receive the ULN.

Through your MIS provider

Check with your MIS provider whether you can import the ULNs through an automated data upload or if you need to enter them manually. Please refer to version 14 of the JCQ formats for the exchange of exams related data. The ULN should be recorded in positions 86-95 in the 'entries and amendment detail record' for a student.

Access a student's PLR

You can access a student's PLR if they are over 14 and in education or training. You'll need their ULN to do this. See the Gov.uk Learning Records Service pages for more information.

Select the correct ULN for your student

Before selecting a ULN you must ensure the data is correct for each of the five key fields:

• given name
• family name
• gender
• date of birth
• postcode

If all these fields cannot be confidently matched then a new ULN should be created.

Please always use the student's legal given name and family name. If there are any discrepancies, please check with the student.

Mismatch reports

We will generate a mismatch report and contact you when your ULN data does not match the LRS data. You will then need to resolve the issue with the LRS and re-submit the entry with the correct information. A mismatch will occur if data is submitted to us that cannot be verified by LRS.

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Exam series

An 'exam series' is the period or session when a whole series of exams take place. For example, June 2015. You will need to know your series because it will have a specific code and its own basedata files, entries closing date and results date.

Download our exam series guide from our make entries page.

How the codes work

Exam series codes are four characters long, and the format is set by JCQ's formats. For example, the series code for June 2015 is 6A15:

• 6 is the month (1 to 9 for January to September, A to C for October to December).
• A is the set of qualifications. This character might be different across exam boards.
• 15 is the year.

Entry code

Our entry codes directory – with entry codes for every qualification – is available on our make entries page.

There are different kinds of entry code for each subject. There will be:

• an entry code for the overall award (generally four characters long – be careful, this is different to the specification code)
• an entry code for each unit, option or tier (generally five or six characters long).

You need to make sure each student is entered with all the relevant entry codes that you want results for – so the overall award and the individual units or components.

Watch our video on using entry codes for help with exam codes when making entries.

Discount – or classification – codes are generated by the Department for Education (DfE). Some qualifications have two discount codes, one for Key Stage 4 and one for Key Stage 5 (post-16).

Both sets of codes are included in our entry codes book (1.6 MB). However, we can only include one discount code per award in our basedata, because of its format. Read more about formats on the JCQ website.

We therefore include:

• Key Stage 4 codes for all Level 1, 2 and 1/2 awards (eg, GCSEs), where the DfE have published a KS4 code.
• Key Stage 5 (post-16) codes for all Level 3 awards (eg, AS and A-level), and for any other award that hasn’t been assigned a Key Stage 4 code.

The codes included in our basedata are taken from the following DfE websites:

• Performance tables: approved qualifications and discount codes on GOV.UK
• QAN website

When a student re-takes a qualification which includes non-exam assessment (NEA), they may request a carry forward of the mark/grade for the NEA component.

Basic principles

• You must use the same Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) that was used for the original attempt, otherwise we will not be able to process the carry forward request.
• For NEA components in reformed linear GCSE, AS and A-level subjects, the most recent non-absent result will be carried forward.
• For endorsement grades in GCSE English Language and A-level Sciences, grades can be carried forward across the JCQ exam boards. The most recent grade (including ‘not classified’) will be carried forward.
• Marks can be carried forward for teacher-marked and AQA-marked NEA components such as MFL speaking tests.
• Marks can be carried forward for the lifetime of the specification. There is no restriction on time between the original attempt and the re-take.
• Certain subjects have specific rules.

There is more information on Carry forward of marks