By drawing on the expertise of our member awarding organisations, we ensure that guidance is consistent and up to date, promoting uniform processes that support fairness and ease for students, regardless of where they study.

JCQ’s main guidance documents include:

• A guide to the awarding organisation’s appeals processes
• A guide to the special consideration process
• Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments
• General regulations for approved centres
• Instructions for conducting coursework
• Instructions for conducting examinations
• Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments – GCSE and GCE qualifications
• Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments – vocational and technical qualifications
• Key dates in the examination cycle – 2026
• Post-Results Services – information and guidance to centres – June & November 2025
• Suspected Malpractice – policies and procedures

JCQ guidance helps centres uphold the highest standards in assessment delivery. This not only supports the delivery of member assessments but also reduces administrative burden, allowing centres to focus on supporting students and ensuring a smooth, reliable experience for everyone involved.

The JCQ Common Timetable is a shared, consultative arrangement through which JCQ members develop and agree common timetables for the GCSE November series and the GCSE and GCE June series.

Draft timetables are published for comment and refined following consultation before being finalised, helping to align exam dates across JCQ members, reduce timetable clashes, and support a fair, manageable exam experience for students so that centres can plan their exam delivery with confidence.

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JCQ operates the Centre Inspection Service to support our members, as well as schools, colleges and other educational establishments across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The service helps ensure the consistent and effective administration of qualifications by checking that JCQ procedures and regulations are followed nationwide.

What we do

The Centre Inspection Service conducts various types of inspections throughout the year. Our inspectors visit schools, colleges and other approved centres to check compliance with regulations covering secure storage of question papers, examination conduct, access arrangements and assessment administration.

During visits, inspectors examine secure storage facilities, review policies and procedures, and observe examination arrangements to ensure centres maintain the highest standards of security and fairness. They also provide guidance and support to help centres meet regulatory requirements effectively.

Supporting Schools, colleges and other educational establishments

Schools, colleges and other educational establishments are expected to cooperate with inspection visits, providing access to examination venues, relevant paperwork and secure storage facilities.

Inspectors will always identify themselves with formal identification and should be accompanied throughout their visit by a senior member of staff or the examinations officer.

Inspection reports provide valuable feedback, highlighting areas of good practice and identifying any improvements needed. This helps establishments maintain compliance and ensures students receive fair and secure assessment opportunities across all our member organisations’ qualifications.

The service operates year-round, with inspectors available to offer advice and guidance on meeting regulatory requirements. By maintaining consistent standards across all establishments, JCQ help uphold public confidence in the UK qualification system.

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JCQ maintains the National Centre Number Register (NCNR) on behalf of member awarding organisations. A small, dedicated team oversees the service, collecting and verifying essential information including the addresses and contact details of schools, colleges and other educational establishments approved to deliver member qualifications.

This includes details for key staff, as well as Senior Designated Contacts who are available out of hours for urgent, results-related queries.

NCNR data underpins the day-to-day work of our member awarding organisations. Its data facilitates communication with schools, colleges and other educational establishments, supports the distribution of question papers, and assists with the planning of inspection visits.

Accurate and current information from the register feeds into systems such as the Centre Administration Portal and supports essential member services like processing exam entries, results and access arrangement applications. By maintaining up to date records, the NCNR team streamlines administration for our members and for schools, colleges and other educational establishments through the management of a common data set, supporting efficient qualification delivery nationwide.

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We keep schools, colleges and other educational establishments informed and supported throughout the academic year with timely guidance, resources and sector updates. Our communications are designed to help centres navigate assessment arrangements with confidence and stay ahead of changes that affect assessment delivery.

Monthly Newsletter

Our monthly newsletter reaches schools, colleges and other educational establishments across the UK with essential information about guidance updates, key deadlines and sector developments.

Targeted Communications

We issue tailored bulletins for senior leaders, highlighting leadership-focused updates and developments that affect assessment delivery.

Webinars and Training

Our webinar programme supports exams officers and centre staff with targeted training and guidance. Popular sessions include our “New to Role” webinars for newly appointed exams officers, which 97% of attendees rate as professional and valuable. We also run seasonal briefings ahead of major examination series, providing practical support and updates on key changes.

Stakeholder Engagement

We strengthen engagement with the sector through regular meetings with teacher associations, providing opportunities to listen to concerns and share updates on JCQ activities. Throughout the year, we seek feedback on specific issues to ensure that the needs and perspectives of centres inform our ongoing service development.

Our communications aim to promote transparency and collaboration, ensuring centres receive clear, consistent information that enables effective delivery of assessments across the UK. Whether through newsletters, webinars or direct support, aim to help centres succeed in their vital work supporting students.

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Every year, thousands of learners across the UK sit GCSEs, A levels and other qualifications as private candidates. JCQ signposts those learners to centres that may be willing to accept their entries for assessments.

How we help

Find centres that may accept you

Enter your postcode, qualification and awarding organisation in our online search tool to see a list of nearby schools, colleges and specialist exam centres that have indicated they welcome private candidates. Each listing includes subjects they may offer and contact details.

Check availability

The results screen lets you filter by area, specific subjects, level or qualification types. However, availability depends entirely on whether centres are offering the qualification you need and whether they have the capacity to accept additional candidates.

Contact centres directly

Use the phone number or email provided to confirm whether the centre can accommodate you, along with fees, entry paperwork and any other arrangements you may need. Centres are not obligated to accept private candidates and make their own decisions based on their resources and capacity.

Important to note

We do our best to guide private learners to centres that may accept their entries, but the final decision rests with each centre based on their capacity, available resources, and the qualification’s assessment requirements. Our centre finder is a signposting tool only, so we cannot guarantee that a centre will be able to accommodate every request. Centres may still accept private candidates even if they do not appear in our search results.

Working with Awarding Organisations

AQA, CCEA, City & Guilds, NCFE, OCR, Pearson, SQA and WJEC/Eduqas all direct private candidates to JCQ’s centre-finder, ensuring consistent information wherever you start your search.

Whether you are resitting, home educated or studying independently, JCQ helps connect you with centres that may be able to support your assessment needs.

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Our work is driven by committees and working groups made up of representatives from our member awarding organisations. These groups bring together nearly 300 staff members from across our membership to collaborate on operational and strategic matters that benefit our members, schools, colleges and other educational establishments.

How our committees work

Led by members and supported by JCQ staff, our committees provide a forum for collaboration, review and decision-making. They regularly update guidance documents such as malpractice procedures, appeals processes and access arrangements to ensure resources remain current, compliant and practical for schools, colleges and other educational establishments.

These groups also coordinate key shared services including common timetables, oversee new initiatives, and respond to emerging challenges in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and regulatory changes. By working together, they help present unified solutions that minimise disruption for centres.

Our committee structure

Our committees span the full range of JCQ activities, from technical standards and data management to inspection services and vocational qualifications. Each committee operates with clear annual work programmes, documented actions and collaborative practices that make the best use of members’ time and expertise, with all members working within JCQ’s code of conduct framework.

Key areas covered by our committees include:

• Standards, Data and Technical Matters
• Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments
• Exams Services, operations and malpractice
• Common timetable planning
• Centre inspection services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Vocational and technical qualifications
• Digital services, cyber and information security

Through this collaborative approach, JCQ committees help maintain high standards, support continuous improvement and ensure that the needs of members and centres remain at the heart of our work. They contribute to monthly newsletters, produce targeted guidance for senior leaders, and ensure that feedback from schools, colleges, and stakeholders informs the ongoing development of JCQ services.

This network of expertise enables us to respond proactively to qualification reforms and sector challenges, working to present unified responses that support effective assessment delivery across the UK.

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JCQ coordinates the Data Sharing Agreement that brings together our member awarding organisations and UCAS. Our central role is to establish the arrangements so that universities and colleges have the information they need to confirm offers and support admissions decisions.

How the agreement works

In advance of the main summer exam series, JCQ works with members and UCAS to agree on the timetable and define the arrangements for sharing results. Member awarding organisations then send students’ results directly to UCAS based on this schedule.

UCAS matches these results to university applications, so higher education institutions can make timely decisions for students on Results Day and during Clearing. This arrangement covers a broad range of qualifications, including A levels, GCSEs, BTECs, and vocational qualifications.

Our role in University Admissions

By coordinating the data-sharing agreement, JCQ plays a key role in ensuring that universities receive accurate results promptly, schools benefit from a consistent process, and students can progress smoothly from school or college into higher education.

This partnership enables thousands of learners across the UK to take their next step with confidence each year.

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The Data Transport Application is a tool that allows schools and colleges to securely send and receive assessment data, such as exam entries and results, directly to and from awarding organisations. It uses the JCQ’s Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) format for this data exchange, helping to ensure smooth and accurate communication.

The application is free to use and provided by our partner Avco Systems.

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The Centre Admin Portal (CAP) is a secure online platform available to JCQ-registered centres in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. You can access CAP through JCQ member awarding body’s secure extranet using your existing login details.
CAP streamlines a range of administrative tasks, including:

• Submitting and managing access arrangements applications
• Requesting modified papers
• Handling consortium approvals
• Managing transferred candidates and very late arrivals
  Integrated with Access Arrangements Online (AAO), CAP allows you to submit a single application to all member awarding organisations.

Accessing CAP

CAP is accessed through your awarding organisation’s secure extranet for centres. Log in details for the portal are provided by your centre’s exams officer.

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The JCQ Access Arrangements Online System is a shared digital service that enables schools, colleges and other educational establishments to request and manage pre‑agreed adjustments, such as extra time, readers, scribes or modified papers, for students with specific needs, disabilities or temporary injuries in a consistent and efficient way across JCQ member qualifications.

It sits within the JCQ Centre Admin Portal and is used by centres to submit a single application per student, rather than applying separately to each member, helping to streamline administration while supporting regulatory compliance and data protection requirements.

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