All AQA specification A Level Exams must be taken at a registered examination centre as a private candidate. We offer course materials and tutor support although we don't offer the examinations. An Examinations Officer can assist any registered student with finding centres and dealing with coursework forms, but we do not book exams on behalf of students and it is the students responsibility to book their own exams. Private Candidates cannot complete AQA Specification Exams outside of the UK.
Students are contacted in December/January prior to their examination window and advised to start arranging their examinations. AQA have over 300 examination centres in the UK. If you would like to research exam centres prior to enrolment then you can visit the AQA Page for Finding a School or College which shows a selection of centres set out geographically.
Examination Dates and fees:
A Level exams are only available in the Summer examination window (May/June) and examination fees need to be paid direct to your chosen examination centre. Prices for exams will vary depending on the centre's administration costs.
Students can decide to study over a one year or two year period (providing the specification and exams are available over that duration). Each A Level Course will take approximately 700 hours of study to complete so if you are unsure that you can complete the course prior to the next available exam window then we recommend studying the course over a 2-year period. You can sign up for a course at any time although course tutors set closing dates for students aiming for each examination window.
Please Note - The closing dates for the 2025 examination window have passed.
Closing Dates for Learners Aiming Towards Summer 2026 Examinations:
- The closing date set by tutors for courses which require coursework authentication (English Language, English Literature and History) was 17 September 2025.
- The closing date set by tutors for all other A Level Courses is 15 October 2025.
The closing dates are set by tutors based on when they think it is reasonable for learners to be aiming for a particular examination window whilst taking into consideration the impact on student support. Once closing dates have passed, we can only accept learners aiming towards the next stated examination window e.g. Summer 2026, or if more time is needed, learners can choose to aim for the next available exam window e.g. Summer 2027 providing the specification is still available. All learners are required to choose their intended exam window as part of their course application.