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Home educated, self-studying, retaking after leaving school, or adding a subject your school doesn't offer. Whatever the reason, you can sit any GCSE without being enrolled anywhere. Here's the route.
Choose your specification
Every subject is offered by more than one board, each with its own spec code. Edexcel GCSE Maths is 1MA1, for instance. Self-studiers often prefer IGCSEs because they avoid coursework, which makes them a good fit for private entry.
Find a centre that takes private candidates
This is the step that catches people out. Many school-based centres won't take external candidates at all. Dedicated centres like ours exist precisely for this: we register you, verify your ID, arrange access arrangements and host the exam under full JCQ conditions.
Register before the deadline
Entries for the May/June 2027 series close on 1 February 2027, and November 2026 entries close on 1 October 2026. Miss the deadline and you're into late fees, or shut out of the series entirely. Check every series on our exam dates page.
Sit the exam and collect your results
You'll get a timetable with your candidate number, dates and times. Results come out on the national results days, and certificates follow through your centre.
Registration, invigilation, results and even your UCAS reference, all in one place. See how it works →
Sit your exam with us
Registration, invigilation and results, handled at our centres in Birmingham, Manchester and London.
