Exam Boards
GCSE English Language is offered by several exam boards in the UK. While they all assess similar skills, the structure, question types, and texts used can vary. This course is based on the AQA 8700 specification.
What are Exam Boards?
An exam board (also called an awarding body) is an organisation that creates, administers, and marks public exams like GCSEs. They follow guidelines set by the national regulator (Ofqual), but each board can design its own papers, wording, and assessment style, as long as it meets the overall subject content requirements.
The four main boards that offer GCSE English Language are:
- AQA
- Edexcel (Pearson)
- OCR
- WJEC / Eduqas
This course follows the AQA GCSE English Language (8700) specification. It was first taught in September 2015, with the first assessment taking place in Summer 2017. If you’re unsure whether your school is using AQA or a different exam board, it’s best to check with your English teacher before you begin and check our subject page for other exam boards. Also, please pay attention to the exam board of revision materials you purchase or invest time in, as it may not align with your exam and you may not be receiving necessary or appropriate information for your assessment, creating confusion and risking overall assessment comprehension.Note
Differences Between Exam Boards
Although all exam boards follow the national curriculum and assess the same core skills, they differ in how they structure their exams, the types of reading and writing tasks they include, and how questions are phrased. These differences can affect how students prepare for the exam and what kinds of strategies they need to succeed.
| Feature | AQA (8700) | Edexcel (1EN0) | OCR (J351) | WJEC (C700) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Papers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Paper 1 Focus | Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing | Fiction and Imaginative Writing | Communicating Information and Ideas (non-fiction focus) | 20th Century Literature Reading and Creative Prose Writing |
| Paper 2 Focus | Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives | Non-fiction and Transactional Writing | Exploring Effects and Impact (fiction and literary focus) | 19th and 21st Century Non-Fiction Reading and Transactional Writing |
| Reading Texts | 19th Century & Modern texts (unseen) | 19th Century & 21st Century texts (unseen) | 20th/21st Century Fiction & Non-Fiction texts (unseen) | 20th Century Prose & Non-Fiction texts (unseen) |
| Writing Tasks | Descriptive & narrative | Descriptive + transactional writing | Creative & non-fiction writing | Description, narration & argument writing |
| Speaking Endorsement | Separate endorsement (ungraded) | Separate endorsement (ungraded) | Separate endorsement (ungraded) | Separate endorsement (ungraded) |
| Total Marks | 160 | 160 | 160 | 160 |
| Exam Duration | Paper 1: 1hr 45min Paper 2: 1hr 45min | Paper 1: 1hr 45min Paper 2: 2hr 5min | Paper 1: 2hr Paper 2: 2hr | Paper 1: 2hr Paper 2: 2hr |
| Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (SPaG) | 20% across both papers | 20% across both papers | 20% across both papers | 20% across both papers |
Commonalities Between Exam Boards
Despite these differences, all exam boards must test the same underlying skills, set out by Ofqual. These include:
- Reading and understanding unseen fiction and non-fiction texts
- Analysing language and structure
- Comparing writers’ viewpoints
- Writing creatively or persuasively for specific audiences
- Using accurate spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPaG)
Each board awards the same 9–1 GCSE grades and includes a separate Spoken Language Endorsement (a short speech or presentation, graded Pass/Merit/Distinction but not counted towards the final grade).