Changes to 2021 exams for GCSE English Language

Published: Thursday 17 Sep 2020

We’ve been working hard to make the relevant changes to our qualifications following Ofqual’s decisions on summer 2021 exams, so here are the changes you need to know about.

GCSE English Language (8700)

The following changes apply to our GCSE English Language (8700) qualification and only for the 2021 exam series:

• there’s no requirement for teachers to submit a sample of audio-visual recordings of Spoken Language assessments
• the Spoken Language assessment can take place in front of a single teacher who can represent an ‘audience’
• the Spoken Language assessment can be conducted by the teacher at any time during the course and by virtual means
• you’ll still need to submit a Centre Declaration Sheet as normal.

We understand that you’ll want to know more about these changes and what they mean for your subject next summer. We’ll publish further guidance about the summer 2021 exams in due course. You will find the latest information for your subject on our qualifications pages.

There are no other planned changes to our GCSE English Language specification or to the written exams. For November 2020, you’ll still need to submit an audio-visual recording for any student(s) entering for the exam and who are not carrying forward their Spoken Language result from a previous series.

Read more about GCSE English Literature changes for 2021.

Ofqual has decided there will not be any changes to AS or A-level English specifications and so our AS and A-level specifications remain the same.

See all updates