International Exams Officer Newsletter
March 2026 |
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Welcome to your monthly Exams Officer newsletter |
Hello March. As the season unfolds, we enter a crucial period of preparation that will lay the foundation of an effective May/June examination series.
With clear planning and a focus on readiness and wellbeing, March offers the ideal opportunity to turn steady progress into strong performance when it matters most.
As always, we are here. If you need further support, reach out to us through the Pearson support portal.
Best wishes,
Pearson Communications |
Supporting our colleagues in the Middle East
We are aware of the current conflict in the Middle East, and how this may be affecting some centres ability to deliver results released this week, or to continue to deliver assessments effectively. We have written to centres directly with the support that's available, but in case you missed it, you can read these below:
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This month's news and updates |
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Date |
Activity |
| 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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NEW Spring and summer: essential information |
To help prepare you for the May/June exam series, we've put together this essential information article containing important knowledge on upcoming key dates, events, assessments, and available resources. |
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Centre Declarations of Interest |
At Pearson, we value protecting the integrity of our qualifications and assessments for our learners. Our centres have a shared responsibility to help us do this through reporting and managing possible conflicts of interest that may arise relating to our qualification assessments.
We will shortly be sending a short form for centres to complete. |
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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 Bitesize - NEA &
Learner Work Transfer
9 March 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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Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are a key means of enabling learners who have specific needs (either temporary or long-term) and/or a disability to access assessments and exams without being unfairly disadvantaged. |
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Examination arrangements
In preparation for the examination series, here are some recommendations for your invigilators and learners:
- be clear about what and how many timetable clashes there are and who is affects
- support them on how timetable clashes are to be managed, including the supervision arrangements for learners sitting exams in an earlier session than timetabled
- put procedures in place on handling and minimising candidates who might pose a risk of causing a disturbance during the exam
- implement arrangements to prevent learners bringing mobile phones to your centre or take possession of mobile phones in ways which candidates will have confidence in (e.g. secure lockers, sealed and named bags at the front of the exam hall)
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Examination start times
When planning your exams, it is essential to double-check that you will be delivering exams at the right times. We have produced guidance documents showing the exam timings across global time zones.
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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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Qualification withdrawals and extensions
We've extended the following BTEC Higher Nationals, which now have a final registration date of 31 August 2027 and final certification date of 31 August 2032:
Meanwhile, the BTEC Higher Nationals in International Travel and Tourism Management are being withdrawn, with a final registration date of 31 August 2026 and final certification date of 31 August 2031. There is no planned replacement for this qualification. |
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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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International 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 any previous events, you can access the recordings 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 27 February 2026.
Sign up to future updates.
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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
Join our Facebook community to stay up to date with news.
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