GCSE English Language

The English GCSE and the English IGCSE are equivalent qualifications held in the same regard by employers or college/university admissions departments.  Both courses are graded using the 9-1 Grading System.

There are some differences in content, but the main one is in how they are examined. The GCSE English has a separately examined Oral component which means that if you choose to take the oral part, then Oxford Open Learning will make your exam entry and carry out the oral assessment. You will need to find a host examination centre where their written paper will be taken and Oxford Open Learning will then arrange for the exam paper to be sent to the host centre. Full details of this process can be found on our Non-Exam assessment page.

The IGCSE English, like nearly all of Oxford Open Learning’s GCSE and IGCSE courses, is more easily arranged by simply entering as a private candidate at a local examination centre.

This course is more expensive because it takes more tutor time to deliver the preparation and subsequent assessment of the student’s oral examination.

You can enrol any time you like, the earlier the better. The important thing to think about is when you wish to sit your exam and to give yourself plenty of time to work through your materials and revise successfully. Our cut-off dates for enrolment are usually November for the following summer exams or March for November sittings.

There are November exams for this subject and the deadline for booking them is the 4th October.

Once you have enrolled, you will get immediate access to your course online and your printed course materials will arrive a few days later.

All the information you need to book your exam with an exam centre can be found in the Student Information section of our website. Here you will find

• detailed instructions on what to do and how to approach exam officers if there is no online booking system
• the entry codes needed to book exams
• our map of examination centres that have helped our students in recent years.

Our experienced Advisers are also always available with a wealth of knowledge about how to locate exam centres and book exams.

OOL students have the advantage of not being tied to sitting with any one centre or organisation and several will offer discounts to our students. Tutors & Exams is one of the biggest operators. They have nine exam venues across the UK in; Birmingham, Bolton, Coventry, Doncaster, High Wycombe, Romford, St Neots, Taunton and Wimbledon.

Our map also shows plenty of other centres that are also very likely to help our students, they may also offer a discount and they could be cheaper. If you have the time it is always worth shopping around.

You should start to look for an exam centre as soon as possible after enrolling and preferably in the Autumn term before your summer exam. There is a lot of demand for Private Exam places and many centres are already booked up well before Christmas. The AQA Exam Board’s final date for booking summer exams without incurring late entry fees is the 21st of February, but do not expect to find many places willing to help at this late stage.

Resit exams are available in November but your choice of centres is likely to be more limited and you will need to confirm arrangements well before the start of the summer holidays.

First fill out our website application form giving as much relevant information as possible and at this stage you have not committed to anything. Once the application has been received and assessed by our Admissions Department, a Student Adviser will contact you to discuss the application, answer any more questions you may have and confirm your subject selections and cost before you get started.

We want you to be comfortable with your choice and clear about the way forward, therefore we do not employ any high pressure sales techniques and you are free to take your time before you commit to investing in any study programme.

Once you are ready, you can pay your Student Adviser in full or arrange to pay in instalments.

There is no upper age limit to studying for a GCSE and we get students who are retired and in their 70’s even 80’s. They often just want to study to keep their brains active and many don’t actually go the expense of sitting the exam. Our tutors love what they can learn from these students

However, most students have just started work and need an extra GCSE to progress or want to switch to a job which requires a qualification they do not have.

If you are under 18 years old then you need our sister company Oxford Home Schooling.

Not surprisingly, many people find the idea of sitting a GCSE with a group of 16 year olds very intimidating but you are quite likely not to be alone.

There is no denying that it can be uncomfortable for a grown up to sit in what is likely to be the cheapest place; a school. Also because of safeguarding, many schools will no longer allow unknown grown ups in to their premises, but there are other options.

The private commercial exam centres all allow grown ups to sit and consequently although you will be in the minority, you will probably not be the only one. Some private schools are still happy to accommodate adults and they will be likely to have the most experienced exam officers.

Exams are not easy for anyone but at least as an adult you will probably have done it before and have the life experience not to panic.

You can opt out of the oral but if you intend to do this then it makes much more sense to take the IGCSE English as that has no oral and is therefore cheaper.

We can print you materials on different coloured paper and because you are studying at home you will be able to take all the time you need to complete your work, but unfortunately we do not have special needs teachers.

When it comes to exams, you may be able to apply for extra time, but if you do not have a current diagnosis then you will need to go through the process of getting one. This can be expensive and time consuming, so please let us know of any special requirements when you apply.

Most of our GCSE and IGCSE courses are fairly self contained and you should not need many if any extra books to complete successfully.

Having said that all students will benefit from reading around a subject and your tutor will be able to advise if any additional reading would useful. These days the internet is an enormous resource both for accessing free materials and buying cheap or second hand books.

It would be useful to have copies of the set texts for the English GCSE course. Please speak to your tutor.