Exam Entry Codes

EXAM ENTRY CODES/ INFORMATION 2022/2023

When entering for examinations it is very important that you as Private Candidates know exactly which exams you want to be entered for and that you are able to give the correct information to the Examinations Officer at the centre where you hope to sit.

If you seem confused or needy when you contact them the exam officer may refuse to help you. They are very busy people. Exam codes go under a variety of names; syllabus code, specification code, entry code, course code, they all refer to the same thing. Oxford Open Learning / Oxford Home Schooling provides these details for you in the INTRODUCTION to each of the courses that you are studying. This is the best method of finding your correct entry code and it is available to you from the moment you begin your course.

We will also provide this information in the Autumn exam mail shot which we send to all potential exam candidates, but you may need it before then if you want to get ahead of the rush. Everyone should therefore be aware of their entry codes and be able to provide them on request. BEWARE; exams officers can become very tetchy if you cannot provide the correct information and it could mean the difference between being offered an exam place or being turned down. For easy reference, below is a summary of all the subjects that we offer and their entry codes. However, please ensure that you choose the correct exam board (AQA or Edexcel) and the correct level (GCSE/IGCSE/A LEVEL). We do not accept responsibility for any wrong entries; it is your responsibility to get this right. Remember, the correct information for your own individual course(s) will be in the front (Introduction) to your course materials.

AQA GCSEs

The specifications are graded from 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest grade and two levels 4 and 5 being equivalent to the old grade C pass level.

Our courses;

• English Language GCSE, 8700, (summer and November exams) two written papers with an oral exam endorsement. This specification has NEA assessment and the exam entry must therefore be made with Oxford Open Learning or Tutors and Exams.
• English Literature, 8702, two written papers, no NEA.
• Mathematics, 8300 (Exam sittings in summer or in November). You need to specify the tier; Higher or Foundation tier. F grades are 1 to 5, H grades are 4 to 9. There are 3 exams
  • paper 1 (non calculator)
  • paper 2 (calculator)
  • paper 3 (calculator)
• Psychology, 8182.
• Sociology, 8192.

EDEXCEL IGCSEs

Edexcel IGCSEs have the same value as GCSEs, but we offer them because they are easier to administer. Edexcel, like AQA, have updated their IGCSEs to the 9 to 1 grading system from 2019.

Please note that French and Spanish orals are compulsory and an essential part of the exam. It is therefore more difficult and more expensive to find centres that are willing to offer these exams.

• Biology, 4BI1, papers 1B and 2B, no tier, no coursework/no practical. Available in November and summer sittings.
• Business Studies, 4BS1, paper 01/02, no tier, no coursework. November and summer sittings.
• Chemistry, 4CH1, papers 1C and 2C, no tier, no coursework/no practical. November and summer sittings.
• Economics, 4EC1, paper 01/02, no tier, no coursework. November and summer sittings.
• English Language, 4EA1, specification A, papers 01 and 02, no tier, no coursework. November and summer sittings.
• English Literature, 4ET1, papers 01 and 02, no tier, no coursework. November and summer sittings.
• French, 4FR1, papers 01 (listening) 02 (reading and writing) and 03 (oral) no tier or coursework. Summer and November sittings.
• Spanish, 4SP1, papers 01 (listening) 02 (reading and writing) and 03 (oral) no tier or coursework. Summer sitting only.
• Geography, 4GE1, paper 01/02, no tier, no coursework. Summer sitting only.
• History, 4HI1, paper 01/02 no tier, no coursework. Summer and November sittings.
• Human Biology, 4HB1, papers 01 and 02, no tier, no coursework/no practical. November and summer sittings.
• Mathematics, 4MA1, specification A, grades 1 to 9, no coursework, students must choose to enter either Foundation, papers 1F and 2F (grades 1 to 5) or Higher tiers, papers 1H and 2H (grades 4 to 9). November and summer sittings.
• Physics, 4PH1, papers 1P and 2P, no tier, no coursework/no practical. November and summer sittings.
• Science (double award), 4SD0, no tier, papers 1B, 1C and 1P, no coursework/no practical. November and summer sittings.
• Science (single award) 4SS0, summer exams only

OCR GCSEs

• Latin, J282, You need to enter for the following papers which are only available in summer;
  • J282/01
  • J282/04
  • J282/06

AQA  AS and A LEVELS;

A level exams are only available in summer, they do not have Foundation or Higher tiers. The grading system is from U to A*. Grades E and above are pass grades.

To obtain a full A level it is no longer necessary to sit an As level exam.

It will still be possible to sit just the AS level, but it will be a “stand alone” qualification and it cannot be used towards the full A level.

AS levels;

• Business AS; 7131, papers 1 and 2
• Economics AS; 7135, papers 1 and 2
• English Language AS; 7701, papers 1 and 2
• English Literature AS; specification A, 7711, papers 1 and 2.
• History AS; 7041GQ, papers 1 and 2.
• Law AS; 7161, papers 1 and 2
• Maths AS; 7356, papers 1 and 2
• Psychology AS; 7181, papers 1 and 2
• Sociology AS; 7191; papers 1 and 2

A levels;

• Business A level; 7132, papers 1, 2 and 3
• Economics A level; 7136, papers 1, 2 and 3
• Law A level; 7162, papers 1, 2 and 3
• Maths A level; 7357, papers 1, 2 and 3
• Psychology A level; 7182, papers 1, 2 and 3
• Sociology A level; 7192, papers 1, 2 and 3

A levels with Non Exam Assessment (NEA)

• English Language A level; 7702, papers 1, 2 and *C.
• English Literature A level; specification A; 7712B (option 2B) papers 1, 2 and *C.
• History A level; 7042GQ, papers 1, 2 and *C.

These subjects which are partly assessed by NEA must be entered through Oxford Open Learning or Tutors and Exams. Please see NEA Guidelines for further information.

EDEXCEL A LEVELS

The exam requirements Edexcel AS or A level are the same as for  AQA  A levels, described above. This means that an AS grade cannot contribute towards a full A level taken at a different date.

AS Levels;

• Biology As level 8BI0/b

A levels

• Biology A level, 9BI0/b, papers 1, 2 and 3, The Biology qualification has a practical endorsement which we assume our students will not normally take as it is so expensive. If any students feel they need the practical then please discuss where it is offered and the cost with your Student Adviser.
• French A level, 9FR0, papers 01, 02 and 03, plus independent research project
• Spanish A level, 9SP0, papers 01, 02 and 03, plus an independent research project

Please note, before you can take either French or Spanish oral exams you will need to give form RP3 to your exam centre. It has to be signed by your Oxford Open Learning tutor before you give it to the centre.

The forms can be found in the following Guides

French