Oxford Home Schooling and Tuition

The Flexible Way To Learn

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

GCSE and International GCSE Courses

Oxford Home Schooling’s suite of GCSE and International GCSE courses has been specially designed and developed to serve the needs of home schooling students who wish to obtain essential school leaver qualifications. All our courses closely follow exam board specifications so you can be sure that you will be thoroughly prepared to pass the same exams as every UK school leaver.

These qualifications will enable students to progress to A Level, apply for vocational courses, or enter the wider world of work straight away. Our range of GCSEs and IGCSEs provides excellent preparation for the next stage in life, whether it is to be undertaken in the UK or abroad.

Our GCSE and IGCSE courses

Oxford Home Schooling’s suite of GCSE and International GCSE courses has been specially designed and developed to serve the needs of home schooling students aiming to obtain qualifications that will enable them to progress to A Level, apply for vocational courses, or enter the world of work.

GCSEs and IGCSEs are widely recognised as the first step in mastering a particular subject and achieving a GCSE or IGCSE indicates that not only does the student have a sound general knowledge of a subject but also that they can apply themselves to learning. Both qualifications provide excellent preparation for the next stage in life.

We can offer you a choice of 6 GCSE and 14 IGCSE courses as shown in our menu.

GCSE or IGCSE?

Contrary to what some people may think, in reality there is no longer any significant difference between a GCSE and an ‘I’ or International GCSE and, as an academic qualification, the IGCSE is equivalent, grade for grade, to GCSE.

Both GCSE and International GCSEs offer progression to A Level, BTEC vocational courses, and other similar qualifications that are equally recognized by the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) but IGCSE has the advantage of being widely available for examination overseas as well as in the UK.

Oxford Home Schooling GCSE courses are mostly written to cover the AQA examining board specifications, so you can be sure that when your child sits an examination, they have been thoroughly prepared and that the qualification is identical to that taken in state schools and colleges up and down the country.

The International GCSE is widely recognized by higher education institutions and employers around the world. International GCSEs are offered to students in over 150 countries and they have gained popularity in the UK as a qualification which is often preferred to GCSEs by many prestigious independent schools. World-wide over 1.5 million students enter for exams every year. Over 300 independent schools in the UK now offer either the Cambridge IGCSE, or, as we do, the Edexcel International GCSE. In 2024 there were over 135,000 UK entries for the Edexcel International GCSE exams.

FAQs

When can I enrol?

You can enrol and start 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 can be found here.

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

Can I complete the Biology exam in one year?

Our cut-off for enrolling on an A level Spanish course for the following summer examination series is mid-October each year. So yes you can.  However, remember that you will still need to fit around 700 hours of study time into your schedule before the examination.  The earlier you enrol, the less study you must do each week!

Why should I choose Oxford Home Schooling?
  • Oxford Home Schooling is a long-established educational trust that prides itself on
    • treating every student as an individual
    • customer service
    • course quality.
  • We’re rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot by students who have studied with us.
  • We provide online and printed resources so you can study your way – other providers do not give you that choice.
  • We make it easy for you to home-educate your children with our flexible schedule, tutor support, and interest-free payment plan.
  • Every year we help hundreds of children who have left mainstream education obtain the qualifications they need to progress and achieve their goals.
  • Oxford Home Schooling is part of a not-for-profit trust so you can be sure that your course fees are spent on either your child’s tuition or on improving our courses.
What is an International GCSE?

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1 grades) are directly comparable to the UK GCSE specifications, with appropriate international content and assessment that will enable successful progression for learners.

Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs are studied in over 80 countries worldwide and they are very popular in independent schools in the UK. Available in 37 subjects, they are equivalent, grade for grade, to UK GCSEs and accepted by universities globally. Aimed at learners aged 14 to 16, they provide the skills and knowledge needed to progress to A Levels, International A Levels, university and into employment.

Full details of Pearson Edexcel’s International GCSEs can be found here

When will I sit my exam?

The Biology IGCSE papers are available in both the Summer or the Autumn examination series.  The Summer series typically runs from mid-May to late June and the Autumn series is in November.

How and when do I book an exam?

The final date for booking summer exams with the exam board without incurring late entry fees is the 21st of February. You should book your place at an exam centre well in advance of this date. Start looking once the autumn term begins.

All the information you need to book an exam centre can be found in our Exams Hub. Here you will find

  • detailed instructions
  • entry codes needed to book exams
  • our map of examination centres where our students have taken exams in recent years.

Tutors & Exams offers discounts to Oxford Home Schooling students and has ten current exam venues across the UK: Birmingham, Bolton,  Coventry, Doncaster, High Wycombe, Romford, St Neots, Taunton and Wimbledon.

Pearson Edexcel also publishes a list of exam centres that accept private candidates. This won’t list every available centre, so if there’s nothing shown in your area, we recommend contacting local schools and colleges directly.

How much does a Biology IGCSE examination cost?

Your exam fees aren’t included in the course cost as they’re paid directly to the exam centre. They will vary depending on which centre you choose.  Generally speaking, dedicated examination services will be more expensive than a local school or college.  Prices range from £100 to £350 pounds.