International Exams Officer Newsletter - Correction
February 2026 |
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Welcome to your monthly Exams Officer newsletter |
Correction
Earlier today we sent the following update which incorrectly stated that the May/June 26 entry deadline for GCSE and GCE qualifications was 21 February. This is incorrect and this date applies to UK centres only. The information below has now been corrected. The correct entry deadline for international customers is 21 March.
We have also incorrectly stated in the key dates table that the speaking window for nternational GCSE Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Swahili and English as a Second Language for summer 2026 opens on 24 March. The correct date is 23 March and this has now also been amended.
Please accept our apologies for any confusion caused.
We are nearing the end of the winter period and despite the challenging weather, the focus on supporting students hasn't waivered. Thank you for your incredible determination and hard work.
Read on for key reminders, guidance, and support to help you continue the year with confidence.
As always, we are here. If you need further support, reach out to us through the Pearson support portal.
Best wishes,
Pearson Communications |
This month's news and updates |
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Activity |
| 12 February |
Post-results deadline: International GCSE for November 2025 examinations |
| 4 March |
Results released to centres: for January 2026 series for IAL, Edexcel Award, Project qualifications |
| 5 March |
Results released to learners: for January 2026 series for IAL, Edexcel Award, Project qualifications |
| 21 March |
Entry deadline: make your entries for summer 2026 for International GCSE, GCSE, IAL, AS/A level, AEA, Edexcel Award, iPrimary and iLowerSecondary, Mathematics in Context, Level 2 Extended Mathematics Certificate |
| 22 March |
Late entry fees will be charged from: for summer 2026 for International GCSE, GCSE, IAL, AS/A level, AEA, Edexcel Award, iPrimary and iLowerSecondary, Mathematics in Context, Level 2 Extended Mathematics Certificate |
| 23 March |
Speaking window opens: for International GCSE Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Swahili and English as a Second Language for summer 2026 |
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Introducing the newest member of the team: voice AI assistant |
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At the end of 2025, we introduced a new Voice AI Assistant when you call, giving you clear answers directly from our support articles.
Answer a few simple questions to help the AI assistant understand who its talking to, then just ask it your question in the same way you would ask a real person.
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Autumn & Winter: Essential Information |
To help support you during the autumn and winter terms, we've put together this essential information article containing important knowledge on upcoming key dates, events, assessments, and available resources. |
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Join us on our 'Bitesize' webinars
If you're a new exams officer or just new to Pearson qualifications, you might have questions about the administration of these. We are running a series of interactive, engaging live events which are dedicated to specific admin processes, providing in depth guidance and include demonstrations on the completion of the process specified.
Why not join us for our next GQ & VQ Bitesize event: |
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GQ Exam Admin &
Question Paper Security
9 February 2026
11:00-12:00 (GMT) 1 hour |
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BTEC Exam Admin & Question Paper
3 February 2026
11:00-12:00 (GMT) 1 hour |
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Don't worry if you missed any! You can always watch the recording of any event on our support article. |
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Improvements to the Edexcel Online Statement of Entry (SoE) Report |
We are delighted to let you know that based on insights from centres, we’ve made a number of improvements to the General Qualifications Statement of Entry (SoE) report in Edexcel Online to make it clearer, more informative, and easier to use.
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Summer 2027 provisional timetables
The provisional timetables for summer 2027 will be available on our website from Monday 2 February. The feedback window will run until Friday 20 March. Please send any feedback into timetables@pearson.com.
These will be available on our provisional timetables webpage. |
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Entries
A key step in achieving a smooth summer series is ensuring that you have made the correct entries for your students for all exams. The deadline for making your entries for general qualifications, including GCSE, International GSCE, GCE and International A Level (IAL) is 21 March 2026.
You can still make entries after the deadline, but this may result in you being charged increased entry fees. If entries are made too late, you might not receive a physical copy of the question paper.
Issues to look out for when making entries include:
- missing individual students
- entering students for the incorrect tier (e.g. GCSE Maths Higher vs Foundation)
- entering students with the wrong awarding body
- entering incorrect dates of birth, names, UCI, etc
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MFL Speaking assessments
Each year we have a number of maladministration cases relating to centres’ delivery of MFL speaking assessments. Please consider the following checks you can do to avoid any issues arising at your centre:
- Do you know when the speaking test window is and are the speaking tests planned in?
- Has the recording equipment been checked to confirm it is still working? Will someone be checking the equipment during the assessment window?
- Are the teacher-examiners clear about how the speaking tests must be delivered? Have they had refresher training? Who will check they are ready?
- Are teacher-examiners clear on how they can progress speaking tests without using improper verbal or non-verbal prompting?
- Have you got copies of the “warning to candidates” posters to display?
- Does everyone involved in facilitating speak tests know that material must be signed in and out of the secure store where needed? (These materials must not be kept in desks draws or staff cupboards)
- Are you and your MFL teachers familiar with the new MFL Sequencing tool for GCSE French, German and Spanish speaking assessments?
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Introducing the new GCSE MFL digital sequencing tool
Follow our checklist to make sure you and your MFL staff are ready to deliver GCSE Spanish, French and German speaking assessments:
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Onscreen Assessment Updates – January 2026
New Familiarisation Materials Now Available
We're pleased to share that additional onscreen assessments have been added to the familiarisation library of our onscreen platform. These resources are freely available and ready for centres to use with learners.
Familiarisation materials are digitised versions of past papers designed to support both teachers and students in gaining confidence with the format, layout and features of our onscreen platform ahead of their high stakes assessments.
They can be assigned directly through the platform’s Booking App. If you need any help assigning assessments to your students or getting started with the onscreen platform, our Onscreen Assessment Team is here to support you –just email internationalonscreen@pearson.com.
Text-to-Speech (TTS) Functionality
We're pleased to confirm that within the onscreen platform, the text-to-speech tool will be available as an access arrangement for eligible students in selected assessments during the May/June 2026 series. This feature will be available for the following qualifications and subjects:
- International GCSE Business
- International GCSE English Language A
- International GCSE English Literature
- International GCSE History
Upcoming Drop-in Q&A Sessions
We're here to help with any general onscreen queries you may have, so please feel free to join our friendly drop-in sessions. Just remember to sign up in advance—we look forward to seeing you there! |
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Complete your APMR for Higher Nationals |
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If your centre needs to complete an Annual Programme Monitoring Review (APMR) for BTEC Higher Nationals, you’ll have received an email inviting you to take part.
The deadline is 20 February 2026. |
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We’re working on a new International Standards Verification hub |
We are developing a new way to give you better visibility into the status of your International standards verification reports through a dedicated hub in the Progress platform.
When the hub is ready, we’ll share everything you need to get started. |
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UK webinar events
We will host a series of monthly online exams officer updates during 2025/2026. These live events go through news, updates and various areas to support you in the coming month. |
If you were unable to attend our event in January, you can access the recording on the support portal. |
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Find out everything you need to know to manage examinations and administer our qualifications.
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Our new dedicated space for exams officer training created to offer enhanced support.
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JCQ
Published on 22 January 2026.
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Ofqual
Keep up-to-date with the latest news and blogs.
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The Exams Office
Working in collaboration with Dfe, Ofqual, JCQ and awarding bodies.
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Social media
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