Changes to assessments from summer 2027 onwards

At AQA, we're committed to ensuring that all learners have access to the highest quality and most accessible assessments, and to make sure that happens, we regularly review and make improvements to our question papers.

For summer 2027, we’re introducing some small but important changes to our question papers to include fewer types of question formats and increase consistency in source layouts.

These improvements will make our assessments more consistent and accessible for all learners, helping to create a fairer assessment experience for all students, regardless of their background or circumstances. The changes will apply to all question papers for all subjects, except for Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) - these will come later.

As part of this work, we’ve reviewed our assessments using the latest research on accessible assessment design. We’ve also listened to feedback from teachers and learners, including members of our Student Advisory Group, to inform these changes.

No changes for MFL in summer 2027

Because the specifications for GCSE French, German and Spanish are new and were only examined for the first time in June 2026, no changes will be made to our GCSE, AS and A-level MFL qualifications as part of the summer 2027 improvements.

Instead, we’ll continue to gather your feedback on the new GCSE languages specifications, alongside the latest research on accessible assessment design. Any changes from this review will be introduced for all our MFL qualifications from summer 2028 onwards. We’ll be in touch with more details later in the autumn term 2026.

Changes for summer 2027

The first phase of these changes will be in three main categories.

1. Fewer types of question formats

The most noticeable changes will be fewer types of question formats across assessments. For example, learners will no longer be asked to circle words, and tasks that require drawing lines or writing letters in boxes will be used less often. We’ll also use a consistent tick-box format for all multiple-choice questions (MCQs) across all subjects helping to reduce confusion, so that learners can focus on answering the question. This format will also reduce the reading load by removing the need for complex instructions associated with other MCQ formats.

See examples of the new question formats. 

2. Consistent layout of source materials

Source texts will be presented in a more consistent format, using a single left-aligned column, except where the layout is part of what is being assessed, for example, in Media Studies. Where line numbers are required, they’ll be placed on the left-hand side to align with natural reading patterns and support readability.

See examples of the new source layout. 

3. Using less bold and italics fonts, capital letters and underlined text

We’ll use less bold and italic fonts, capital letters and underlined text, as these styles are not as accessible for some learners. Where emphasis is needed, we’ll use bold text sparingly and consistently to support clarity and readability.

Support and resources

For subject qualifications that need more guidance to support this change, we’ll provide updated question papers for the following subject components from the summer 2026 exams to show how the changes will look. The updated papers will be available on Centre Services, our secure website, later in the autumn term 2026 and can be used in the classroom and in your mocks.

We plan to build on these improvements and will continue enhancing our assessment materials across all subjects in future series. We’ll keep you updated on any planned changes for 2028.

Teachers Talk Radio live session – 28 September 2026

Join us live on Monday 28 September, 7.30pm–8.30pm, for a Teachers Talk Radio session where we'll explore how Universal Design can help make assessments more accessible while maintaining academic rigour. Find out more and add to your calendar.