Exam boards explained: Edexcel, AQA, OCR and Eduqas

In short: Exam boards set and mark GCSEs. The content is similar across boards, but the papers look different, so practising in the right board's style helps. Ask the school which board each subject uses.

What an exam board does

In England, GCSEs are set and marked by exam boards: mainly AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas. Each one writes its own papers, within rules set by the regulator, Ofqual.

How much difference it makes

The core content is broadly the same across boards, especially in Maths. What changes is the style: how many papers there are, how questions are worded, and how marks are given. Practising past papers from the right board makes the real exam feel familiar.

Practising in the right board's style makes the real exam feel familiar.Mrs Bukky

How to find out

• Check the school website or ask your child's teacher.
• Look at the front of a mock paper: the board's name is on it.
• Different subjects can use different boards, even at the same school.

How we handle it

We teach all four boards. When your child starts, we note the board for each subject, so homework and practice papers match what they'll sit.