Exams

How do home educators take exams?

Different exams

Home educators take exams as private candidates. Not all exams are open to private candidates. For young people who are part-way through GCSEs at school it is often not possible to take the same exams outside the school system.

Home educators may for example take GCSEs, IGCSEs or Open University courses.

Issue of access to exam centres for home educated under 16s

It can be difficult for home educated young people to find anywhere to sit exams. State schools are not generally willing to open their doors to private candidates. Some home educators have found that independent schools are very helpful. Education Otherwise and the Home Education Advisory Service are working with the Independent Schools Council to show private schools it can be both straightforward and rewarding to open their doors to home educators. Read more from Education Otherwise presentation to the 2009 Annual Conference here.

In addition, a minority of local authorities offer access to Maths and English GCSEs for home educated young people, an arrangement which usually involves the local Pupil Referral Unit but may also include a local state school or FE college. We are aware of a few local authorities who offer meetings with exam officers and subject teachers and provide invigilation sessions for groupwork and speech and language elements of English GCSEs.

Some home educators, particularly in the South of England and in London, use private tuition centres or tutorial colleges as a place to sit exams. It is worth shopping around as the fees may vary considerably but in some areas there will be little choice over what is available.

How much does it cost?

Home educators wishing to take exams as private candidates have to factor in the cost of exam board fees and the cost of exam centre invigilation. In addition, some home educators use correspondence courses such as NEC or Oxford Home Schooling.

Controlled Assessment

However, even when home educators find somewhere to sit exams, there is still the problem of controlled assessment for GCSEs. We find an increasing number of home educators feel they have no choice but to take IGCSEs where the marks are entirely based on final exams.

The subject of controlled assessment was first raised with the national exam regulators in Autumn 2007 and was followed by a meeting in Spring 2008. The main information about the implications of controlled assessments for private candidates can be found here.

Controlled assessments have been described as "supervised extended essay writing" or "projects set by exam boards under controlled conditions."

One of the main awarding bodies (exam boards) for home educators taking GCSEs as private candidates is AQA which has published its own 12 page leaflet on controlled assessments and a guide for exams officers. The AQA leaflets set out the percentage of controlled assessment in each subject which can be up to 60% of the final mark. The leaflets also explain about the security levels for task taking, ie how much supervision/invigilation is required.

More information about controlled assessments can be found here, here and here.

The Department for Children Schools and Families commends this page for offering up-to-date information about the implications of controlled assessments for private candidates.

Education Otherwise finds the page to be woefully inadequate and we continue to challenge the Government on the issue of controlled assessment.

College

It may be possible for young people aged 14-16 to take GCSEs at college with the tuition fees paid by the local authority who can reclaim the money from Government. In 2009 the previous Government said that local authorities could already draw down funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant for home educated 14-16s to attend college and for "home educated pupils whom they support financially and who have a statement, or who have significant special educational needs that have not been formally recognised through a statement."

For the most up to date information in this area, please see our Funding for Home Education page and check our Latest News page regularly.

Non-standard entry to college

Some home educated young people find it is possible to go to college at 16 without GCSEs in order to study for GCSEs or A Levels. In these cases, the family is likely to have made prior contact with the college and shown a portfolio of work at an interview. The candidate may be interviewed by specialist subject tutors. All applicants to college will probably be required to take a literacy and numeracy assessment which is completed online at college over a period of several hours.

Flexi-school

One possible solution to take GCSEs at school in a flexi-school/part-time attendance arrangement. Very few schools and colleges offer this option at present but it may become increasingly viable. The EO flexischool leaflet may be found here.

Additional needs/access arrangements

Private candidates with additional needs who believe they may need extra time in exams or to use a keyboard or the services of a scribe will need to plan in advance for this. The exam board will expect evidence and the exam centre will need plenty of advance notice. Some exam centres will not be able to accommodate private candidates who have special requirements.

More information can be found on the JCQ website here and here.

IGCSEs

International GCSEs do not follow the English National Curriculum and are therefore not taken at present in state schools in England, though they are widespread in the independent schools sector. This has implications for home educators when it comes to finding an exam centre which will accept private candidates. Read more here.

Education Otherwise

The Education Otherwise members' newsletter contains regular updates about examinations and home education funding. For more information about the benefits of joining Education Otherwise please see here.