AEA
Advanced Extension Award - an examination offered in 19 subjects designed to test the most able A Level students.  It replaced the former Special Paper.

Awarding body    
This term replaces the previously used ‘examination board’.

AQA
Awarding body – the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) was formed by the merger of the Associated Examining Board (AEB), Southern Examining Group (SEG) and the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board (NEAB).  AQA was established in October 1998.

Cash-in
When a student applies for a grade after taking sufficient units for a subject grade to be issued.

CCEA
Northern Ireland Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment – awarding body and examinations regulator for Northern Ireland.

City & Guilds
Awarding body – The City and Guilds of London Institute

DfES
The Department for Education and Skills.

Edexcel
Awarding body – formed by the merger of the University of London Examinations and Assessment Council (ULEAC) and the Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC).

Entry Level Certificate
Qualification designed to recognise achievement by students who have not yet reached the standard for a GCSE award.  It was formerly known as the ‘Certificate of Achievement’ or ‘Certificate of Educational Achievement’.

GCE
General Certificate of Education.  The GCE is divided into two stages – the AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A2.  The AS is certificated in its own right.  The AS along with the A2 delivers the full Advanced Level qualification which is certificated as the A level.

GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education.

JCQ
Joint Council for Qualifications – represents the seven largest providers of qualifications nationally (AQA, City & Guilds, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR, SQA and WJEC).

OCR
Awarding body – Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) was established in October 1998 from the former Midland Examining Group (MEG), Oxford and Cambridge Examinations and Assessment Council (OCEAC) and the RSA Examinations Board.  OCR is part of Cambridge Assessment.

Ofqual
The Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator – the regulator for England.

Regulator
Statutory body responsible for the regulation of standards in examinations offered by the awarding bodies:  Ofqual (England), CCEA (Northern Ireland), SQA (Scotland) and DfES.

Specification
Content for each qualification sometimes referred to as the syllabus.

SQA
The Scottish Qualifications Authority - awarding body and the regulator for Scotland.

WJEC/CBAC
Awarding body – which was formerly known as the Welsh Joint Education Committee.