GCSE exam boards, explained
6 min read · updated 2026-09-02
England's GCSEs are run by competing exam boards: AQA, Edexcel and OCR are the biggest. The content is nationally regulated, but question style, paper structure and grade boundaries differ, which is why board-specific practice matters.
Who they are
AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance), Edexcel (run by Pearson) and OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) are the three boards most schools use for GCSEs. Schools pick a board per subject, so a child might sit Edexcel maths, AQA English and OCR science in the same year.
How they differ in practice
The required knowledge is broadly the same, but question phrasing, paper structure, timing and the mix of multiple-choice versus long-form differ. Grade boundaries are also set independently by each board after each series. A student drilled on Edexcel papers walks into an OCR paper with a real disadvantage.
How to find your child's board
Ask the school or your child's teacher: each subject department will name its board. Then download that board's specification and past papers from its website (all three publish them free). Every EagleTeach session follows the child's own board and specification.
Awarding bodies, legacy names and the rest of the UK
Awarding body is the formal term for an exam board, and you will see both used interchangeably. Old certificates carry names that no longer exist because boards have merged: AEB (the Associated Examining Board) and NEAB both became part of AQA in 2000, and the University of London's examination arm lives on inside Edexcel. If an employer or university asks about an old AEB or ULEAC qualification, the answer is simply that AQA or Pearson Edexcel now hold the records.
Beyond the big three, WJEC (based in Wales, with its Eduqas brand serving English schools) offers GCSEs and A-Levels, CCEA runs qualifications in Northern Ireland, and Scotland has its own system entirely: the SQA awards National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers instead of GCSEs and A-Levels. International schools most often sit Cambridge (CAIE) or Pearson Edexcel iGCSEs, which are different specifications from the English GCSEs even when subjects share a name.
FAQs
Is one exam board easier than another?＋
Boards are regulated to the same standard, so difficulty is comparable. 'Easier' usually means a better fit with how your child is taught, which the school has already chosen.
Can we switch exam boards as a private candidate?＋
Private candidates can enter with a board that suits them, but they must sit exams at an accepting exam centre. Resit students often do exactly this.
What is the AEB exam board? My parent's certificate says AEB.＋
AEB, the Associated Examining Board, merged into AQA in 2000, so an AEB certificate is a fully recognised predecessor of today's AQA qualification. AQA holds the records and can issue certified statements of results if one is ever needed.
Are iGCSEs the same as GCSEs?＋
They are equivalent-level qualifications with the same recognition, designed for international candidates: more exam-only assessment and January sittings. Content overlaps but specifications differ, so revision must use iGCSE papers rather than GCSE ones.
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