Exam Information

The provisional summer exam timetables have been released by the exam boards. The Cheney exam timetable can be found here.

The exam series for Cheney students runs between 22 April and 19 June 2026. Speaking exams are scheduled separately and start after the Easter break early in term 5.

Exam boards have declared the 24 June as contingency day. This means that all exam students must remain available to sit exams up to and including the 24 June, unless they have completed all their exams on the scheduled dates.

Exam Timetables

For the summer exams a 'Statement of Entry' is sent out/handed out to students, to show all subject awards for which a student is entered. This entry information needs to be checked carefully by students and parents/guardians, then signed and returned to the exams office.

Exam Clashes: If you appear to be scheduled for two or more exams in the same session (am or pm) this is known as a 'clash'. If you have a clash, please come to the exams office to make specific arrangements.

When planning for holidays, bear in mind that candidates are not eligible for enhanced grading where they choose not to be available for the rescheduled examination(s).

Exam certificates from qualifications taken in the summer 2026 series will be available to collect from 7 December 2026, 9:00 to 15:30 on school days

Collection is:

• in person from Main reception - you must bring valid photo-ID (e.g.student card, driving licence, passport)
• by nominating another person in writing using the Exam Collection Authorisation Form
• requesting postal delivery for an £8.00 fee using the Exam Certificate Postal Request Form

Certificates collected by candidates cannot be replaced by the school. It is the candidates' responsibility to request replacement documents directly from the Awarding Body. There is a charge of approximately £50 per certificate. You may find useful information on how to request replacement certificates here or click AQA-Exam Records.

We use four main Examination Boards (also called Awarding Bodies): AQA, Pearson, OCR and WJEC/Eduqas. All Exam Boards have websites where students and parents can find information on courses, assessment material, past papers, exam timetables, grade boundaries and much more.

Please see Exam Subjects and Boards for the awarding bodies and course codes used at Cheney School in 2025-6.

There are  coursework/practical exams/NEA called Controlled Assessments or Non-exam assessments in several subjects. Dates for these exams are set by teachers during the academic year and communicated to students in lessons.

Beside GCSEs and A-levels, Cheney School teaches a range of BTECs and the new Tech Awards. These courses comprise a combination of internally and externally assessed units. Dates for external assessments appear on the centre timetable as well as the students' timetables; internal assessments deadlines are set by the teachers.

Some students may require additional support when taking their exams. Cheney School has a duty towards students with learning difficulties and disabilities and works to make reasonable adjustments to examination arrangements.

Access Arrangements are organised in advance of an examination and are based on evidence of need and a child’s normal way of working. Access Arrangements fall into two distinct categories: some arrangements are delegated to centres, others require prior JCQ and awarding body approval.

Access Arrangements allow candidates/learners with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment.  For example, extra time, readers, scribes and Braille question papers. Most arrangements are made on the basis of tests carried out by a specialist which measure speed, accuracy and/or comprehension. If the standardised score obtained is in the below average range, and therefore less than 85, a student may be entitled to extra time, a reader and/or the use of a word processor.  Other specific arrangements are made for students with short or long term difficulties as necessary and dependent on their needs.

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On-screen Examinations

The school has limited capacity in the exam venues. We therefore will accept private candidates only:

• If they have previously been enrolled at Cheney School for their secondary education and wish to improve their grade

• If they are a current student who wishes to make an entry for a subject that they do not study on their timetable.

In the academic year 2026-27, Cheney School does not accept any private candidates who have no enrolment status with the school.

Private candidate entries are generally only accepted for the summer season. Cheney has no capacity to accommodate new external candidates.
Applications to be accepted as a private candidate must be submitted by 30 November for the year of entry for June examinations. The external candidate application form must be completed in full and the appropriate payment completed by 15 January of the year of entry.

Once accepted, the school will:

• Make entries for examinations

• Provide appropriate conditions to sit the examinations. This will be in a room with our existing students

•  Make results available for collection at reception on results days and post certificates to a home address

As a centre we are not able to provide the following:

• Entries for any qualification that requires a coursework, controlled assessment, practical or oral examination component

• Application for, or administering of, any special access arrangements. This includes candidates with a pre-existing Form 8/Form 9, as the transfer to a new centre is not automatic

• Facilities to study within the centre

• Marking, support or advice on any part of a course

• Facility to take an exam in a private room

• Supervision of candidates between exam sessions unless there is a timetable clash

If exams have to be cancelled due a national crisis, the centre will contact each private candidate to check:

• If there is evidence of graded work, e.g. through working with a private tutor

• Make contact with the tutor and quality-assess their work rigorously

• If their marking is deemed in line with Cheney standards, accept the tutor as centre-accredited

• If there is no evidence of graded work, withdraw the exam entry

The following fees will apply to all private/external candidates:

• Subject entry fee (Consult the full Exam Fees Information)

• A one-off non-refundable admin fee

• Invigilation – no charge if the centre is already running an exam for internal students, otherwise an invigilation charge per paper will be set at the centre's discretion. All fees must be paid in full before entries are made. The deadline is the 15th of January for June exams.

No refunds can be made if the candidate subsequently wishes to withdraw after entry and before the exam takes place, or does not attend an exam, for whatever reason.