Updated 22-July-2026
A private candidate is anyone who sits exams at an approved centre without being enrolled there as a student. Home educated teenagers, adults resitting English or Maths, students on online courses and people adding an A Level for a degree all book their exams this way. The qualification at the end is identical to the one a school student receives.
What is different is that nobody books the exam for you. This guide walks through the 2026/2027 exam year in the order you will meet it: choosing a series, choosing the exact qualification, arranging anything beyond the written papers, booking, and the checks that follow.
By mid October 2026, every November deadline has passed its standard date. For most private candidates reading this now, June 2027 is the series to plan for. Its exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027, with 23 June kept as a contingency day. A Level results are released on 12 August 2027 and GCSE results on 19 August 2027, according to the JCQ key dates for June 2027.
If you need a November GCSE resit urgently, our November 2026 GCSE resits guide explains late entries.
You need three things for every subject: the exam board, the specification code and, where it applies, the tier or option.
The code is what identifies the exam. AQA GCSE Mathematics is 8300, Pearson Edexcel GCSE Mathematics is 1MA1 and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics A is 4MA1. They are three different qualifications with different papers. Find the code on your textbook, your course outline or the front of the past papers you have been practising with, then check it against our exam fees page, where every subject is listed with its code.
For tiered subjects, the tier is part of the entry. GCSE Maths Foundation covers grades 1 to 5 and Higher covers grades 4 to 9, so choose based on the grade you need.
Many subjects are assessed entirely by written exams, which makes them straightforward for private candidates. Others include work the centre has to supervise.
If you have completed coursework or an endorsement in an earlier attempt, you may be able to carry the result forward instead. Give the centre your previous board, specification code and Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) so the exam board can link the records.
Extra time, a reader, a scribe and other access arrangements must be requested when you make your entry, according to JCQ's guidance for private candidates. The centre needs your evidence and has to submit the application before JCQ's processing deadline, which for June 2027 is 21 March 2027. Modified papers, such as enlarged print, have an earlier deadline of 31 January 2027.
At Private Exams Centre, our booking procedure has four parts:
Create a free account.
Complete the registration form with your personal details and exam details, including each specification code.
Pay online.
Receive a confirmation email with the details for your exam.
Register using your name exactly as it appears on your photo ID. If you have sat exams before, include your previous UCI.
These are fees for the June 2027 series if you book by 15 February 2027:
After 15 February, every fee rises to the late band, and after 16 April to the high late band. GCSE Maths, for example, becomes £320 and then £395.
If your plans change, a GCSE, IGCSE, AS or A Level entry cancelled before the first deadline is refunded minus £30 per paper. After the first deadline, there are no refunds. Read our refund policy before you pay.
Once your entry is made, you receive a statement of entry. Check your name, date of birth, each subject, board, specification code, tier and any speaking, coursework or practical options. Ask the centre to correct anything wrong straight away, because changes become harder and can cost more as the series approaches.
When the timetable is available, note every paper, date and session, and look for clashes if you are sitting several subjects or boards. Our exam timetables page has the board timetables for each series.
Bring original photo ID, such as a passport or photographic driving licence, to every paper. Arrive early, leave your phone and watch outside the room, and use black ink. If something goes wrong on the day, such as illness, tell the centre at once so it can consider a special consideration application.
Results are released nationally on results day. Candidates who sit with Private Exams Centre receive their results by email by 9am, with the option of collecting a copy from our office. Our results day guide for private candidates covers reviews of marking and certificates.
There is no upper age limit for GCSEs or A Levels. The November GCSE series is the one age rule to know: it is for candidates who were at least 16 on the previous 31 August.
No. You sit the same papers, marked to the same standard, and receive the same certificate from the exam board.
Yes. Each subject is a separate entry. Just book each one before the standard deadline to avoid late fees.
Before you book, our list of mistakes private candidates make when booking exams is worth five minutes of your time. Questions about a particular entry can go to info@privateexamscentre.co.uk.
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