Key Facts
| Entries | Exam boards accept entries only through an approved centre; centres are not obliged to accept private candidates |
|---|---|
| Centre search | JCQ private candidates search, updated each December for the following year's exams |
| Pearson Edexcel GCSE entry fees, 2025-26 | For example Biology £54.80, English Language £56.40, Mathematics £55.00 (centre charges are extra) |
| Pearson Edexcel International GCSE entry fee, 2025-26 | £67.00 (excluding modern foreign languages, £103.70) |
| Pearson Edexcel A level entry fees, 2025-26 | For example English Language £115.90, Biology (Salters-Nuffield and B) £126.30, Further Mathematics £160.80 |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
An exam centre for private candidates is a school, college or dedicated centre that agrees to enter a student who is not enrolled there for GCSEs, IGCSEs or A-levels and to run their exams. Home-educated students, adults resitting and students on distance-learning courses all take exams this way, since exam boards do not accept entries directly from candidates. Centres are not obliged to accept private candidates, and fees, deadlines and the subjects they can support vary widely. Below is how to find a centre, what to ask before booking, how fees work, how access arrangements are handled and what to do if a centre says no.
How private entries work
Exam boards accept entries only through an approved centre. The candidate, or their parent, arranges a place with a centre, which makes the entries, collects the fees, runs the exams under the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) rules and passes on the results. Pearson notes that a centre is not obliged to accept private candidates and may have legitimate reasons for refusing, so starting early and contacting several centres is the usual approach.
The GCSEs for home-educated children page explains how private candidates choose subjects and boards, and why many choose IGCSEs.
Finding a centre
| Source | What it offers | Note |
|---|---|---|
| JCQ centre search | Centres that have said they accept private candidates, searchable by postcode, qualification and exam board | OCR says the list is updated each December for the following year's exams |
| Local council home education pages | Many councils list local centres that accept private candidates | Coverage varies by council |
| Exam board pages for private candidates | Board guidance and links to the JCQ search | AQA, OCR, Pearson and WJEC all direct candidates to JCQ |
| Local schools and colleges | Direct enquiries to the exams officer | Centres can accept private candidates without appearing on the JCQ list |
| Home education groups | Recommendations from families who have used a centre | Useful for practical detail on how a centre runs exams |
The JCQ private candidates page hosts the search, and the OCR and Pearson private candidate pages explain each board's approach. Families in Wales should also ask their council about the identified exam centre that every Welsh council has agreed to provide for WJEC exams, which the home education in Wales page describes.
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A short list of questions avoids most later problems:
- Which boards and specifications can you enter me for? Centres often accept private candidates only for the specifications they already teach.
- What will it cost? Ask for the board entry fee, the centre's administration fee, any invigilation charge, and the late entry charge.
- What are your internal deadlines? Centres usually set their own deadlines well before the board's.
- Can you run the non-exam parts? Some qualifications need a speaking assessment, science practicals or coursework, and not every centre will support them.
- How do you handle access arrangements? Ask who the centre's assessor is and when an assessment would take place.
- Where and when are the exams sat? Arrangements for private candidates may differ from those for the centre's own students.
- How are results and certificates issued? Ask whether results can be collected online and how certificates reach the candidate.
How fees work
Private candidates pay two kinds of fee. The exam board sets an entry fee for each qualification, published each year in its fee list, and the centre charges that fee to the candidate. The centre usually adds its own administration charge and sometimes an invigilation charge, and Pearson says it has no control over the administration fees centres charge. Since centre charges vary widely, the total cost of the same GCSE can differ considerably between two centres in the same area.
Entries made after a board's deadline can attract late fees, which raise the cost further. The board entry fees in Pearson's current fee list are in the key facts on this page, as an indication of the board's share of the cost.
| Element | Set by | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Board entry fee | The exam board | Published annually; varies by qualification and subject |
| Administration fee | The centre | Varies widely; ask before booking |
| Invigilation charge | The centre | Some centres charge by the hour or by the exam |
| Late entry fee | The exam board, passed on by the centre | Applies after the board's entry deadline |
| Speaking or practical assessments | The centre | Where offered, often charged separately |
The home schooling cost guide sets exam fees in the context of the wider costs of home education.
Access arrangements for private candidates
Access arrangements, such as extra time, a reader or rest breaks, are applied for by the centre, never by the family, and JCQ and the exam boards discuss them only with centres. JCQ's overview for centres accepting private candidates sets out several points that matter for families:
- Raise needs at the start. Requirements should be notified when applying to the centre, which should ask about any difficulties under timed conditions on its application form.
- The centre's assessor carries out the assessment. A report commissioned privately without the centre's involvement cannot be used to award access arrangements.
- Evidence of normal working. Where the centre cannot set a timed test, it can use a work log or samples of the candidate's work.
- Some arrangements need no application. Arrangements such as supervised rest breaks can be approved by the centre's special educational needs coordinator.
- No extra charge for reasonable adjustments. Where a centre is under a duty to make a reasonable adjustment, it must not charge a disabled candidate an additional fee for it.
Since JCQ sets deadlines for access arrangement applications several months before each summer series, families who need arrangements should approach centres earliest of all.
Non-exam assessment, practicals and speaking
Some qualifications include parts that are not written exams, and a private candidate needs a centre that can run them:
- GCSE sciences require practical activities during the course, which the centre must be able to provide.
- GCSE English Language includes a Spoken Language Endorsement, reported separately from the grade.
- GCSE modern foreign languages include a speaking exam conducted at the centre.
- A-level sciences include a practical endorsement assessed over the course.
- Coursework subjects, such as art or design and technology, need a centre willing to supervise and authenticate the work.
These requirements are one reason many home-educated students choose IGCSEs, which are mostly assessed by written exam. The A-levels for home-educated students page covers the A-level practical endorsement in more detail.
If a centre says no
Refusals are common, especially for qualifications with practicals or speaking assessments, or when a centre is short of space. Families who are refused can:
- widen the search to centres further away, including dedicated private-candidate centres in larger towns;
- ask whether the centre would accept an entry for a different board's specification, or for an IGCSE in place of a GCSE;
- ask the council's home education team, which may know of local centres;
- consider sitting in a different series, such as a November resit series where the subject offers one, to spread entries across centres.
Related guides
- GCSEs for home-educated children
- A-levels for home-educated students
- Home schooling in the UK: the law, deregistration and how to start
- Home education with SEN
- Home schooling costs
- GCSE or IGCSE: what's the difference
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Frequently asked questions
- How do I find an exam centre that accepts private candidates?
- Start with the JCQ private candidates search, which lists centres by postcode, qualification and exam board, then check your council's home education pages and contact local schools and colleges directly, since centres not on the list can still accept private candidates.
- How much does it cost to sit a GCSE as a private candidate?
- You pay the exam board's entry fee, which the board publishes each year, plus the centre's own administration and sometimes invigilation charges. Centre charges vary widely, so ask each centre for its full fees before booking.
- Can a centre refuse a private candidate?
- Yes. Centres are not obliged to accept private candidates and may refuse for reasons such as capacity, or because they cannot run a speaking or practical assessment.
- Can private candidates get extra time?
- Yes, through the centre. The centre's own assessor must carry out any assessment, a privately commissioned report cannot be used on its own, and needs should be raised when first applying to the centre.
- When should I contact an exam centre?
- As early as possible, ideally in the autumn before a summer series. Centres set internal deadlines ahead of the boards' entry deadlines, and access arrangements take longest to set up.
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