GCSE Science: September 2025 updates
Welcome to our Autumn 2025 newsletter
Published
Monday 1 Sep 2025
Welcome to our Autumn 2025 newsletter
We hope the new term has started well for you.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at various training events this term and receiving the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment review when it’s published. In this email you’ll find all the information to get you started this term.
If any members of your team would like to receive subject-specific updates, they can easily sign up for AQA subject updates, so they’re always informed and part of our community.
Damian Gent and the Science subject support team
myAQA
- Sign up to myAQA to get quick access to resources, CPD training and events, Data Insights (our results analysis tool) and much more this autumn term. Make sure you’ve filled in your myAQA profile including your role and subject specialism so we can instantly start connecting you with the tools, training and resources most relevant to you.
- Once you’re logged into your myAQA account, you can also access Centre Services.
myNetwork
This term, we’ve developed a range of free professional development training courses and events to help you improve your knowledge and classroom confidence, so you can get the very best out of your learners and help them reach their potential.
Curriculum Connect: Exploring summer 2025
Join us for these events where we will share high-level insights into the data from the summer series, key findings from the examiners reports and areas for improvement to support student progress.
Click on the links below to book your slot!
- GCSE Biology Trilogy Biology
- GCSE Chemistry Trilogy Chemistry
- GCSE Physics Trilogy Physics
- GCSE Synergy P1 P2
- GCSE Synergy P3 P4
myTraining
Join us for our free live mark scheme guidance and application courses. This live AQA training course will provide you with guidance on how to apply the mark scheme to key questions/question types. You will have the opportunity to take part in marking activities and discussion led by a senior AQA examiner to help with preparation for 2025/26 mock marking.
Book here:
Marking non-exam assessment (NEA)
Are you looking to improve the accuracy of your NEA marking this year? Why not use our free Teacher Online standardisation tool during a departmental meeting to check your marking is in line with our lead moderators?
myResources
Looking for resources to support your teaching? The learned societies offer a wealth of free resources and CPD courses. Here are a few examples we think you might find useful:
- Biology – Science and Plants for Schools has a series of articles by DR Chris Graham to support teaching microscopy and plants. Explore the A-Z of careers in Biosciences with this video series from the Royal Society of Biology
- Chemistry – The Royal Society of Chemistry has a produced a range of resources to support your teaching Literacy in Science for example key terms support for the particle model. They also have a range of spectacular science demos to inspire learners and bring experiments to life.
- Physics – Stem Learning and Ogden trust are offering free subject knowledge for Physics for non-specialists.
Data Insights on Centre Services – see how your school, subject, class and individual students have performed and dig deeper into your students’ results.
Find summer 2025 question papers, mark schemes, and examiners’ reports, all in one place on Centre Services. See what is available and when.
You can find each of the grade boundaries on our website and the overall results statistics with cumulative pass rates for the whole AQA cohort.
mySupport
We’re delighted to extend our popular ‘Free at 3’ appointments, following the success of last term’s trial. These 20-minute sessions gave us the chance to speak with many of you – mainly about resources, exams and qualifications and we’re keen to keep those conversations going.
If there’s something you’d like to discuss, we’d love to hear from you. Just get in touch using the Free@3 link to book your slot in mySupport – available between 3.00pm – 5.00 pm, Monday – Thursday.
Log into myAQA for post-results services to find information and deadlines and easy summary guide.
The use of AI within assessments
JCQ’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Assessments: Protecting the Integrity of Qualifications document provides teachers/assessors involved in delivering JCQ qualifications with the information they need to manage use of AI in assessments. All relevant staff need to be aware of and familiarise themselves with the new guidance and instructions. If AI misuse is detected or suspected by your school or college, and the declaration of authentication has been signed, the case must be reported.
Remember, if you have any learners who use a word processor, it must have all internet connectivity disabled. This is to help prevent, among other things, the potential misuse of AI in exams.
Using AQA resources for AI tools
AQA does not allow anybody (including schools and colleges) to use any AQA materials to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools or technologies. This includes question papers, specifications, mark schemes, reports, teaching resources and other such materials. While we understand how useful these tools are, putting any AQA material into an AI tool would be in breach of copyright law, and AQA policy.
Exampro for GCSE Science
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Student Advisory Group – recruitment for 2025/26
We’re looking for learners to join our Student Advisory Group to help us make key decisions about the future of exams. We’d love to hear from learners who’ve completed AQA specification GCSEs since 2024, as well as from those taking AQA AS and A-levels. We also really want to hear from students taking our vocational qualifications, or vocational qualifications with any other exam board, as long as they have sat at least one AQA qualification.
Since the Student Advisory group began they’ve; represented the student voice each year at the Parliamentary Youth Reception, shared their views at the Curriculum and Assessment Youth Shadow Panel, fed into our Curriculum and Assessment call for evidence response, given insights on AI in the Classroom at the 2025 Festival of Education, helped with reviewing books for our English literature set texts list, and much more.
So if you know any learners who you think would be interested, please pass this on. Full details of the role and how to apply can be found on our website. Applications open on Monday 8 September and close at 5.00pm on Monday 22 September 2025.
Contact our team
Help is never more than a click away. If you have a question, we’ve got the answer.
Email gcsescience@aqa.org.uk
Call us on 01483 477756 8.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday.