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Revision systems for students

How to find your exam board

Confirm the exact course for each subject before choosing revision books, specifications or past papers.

Use the course-checking record

Editorial

  • Portrait of Robin GibbonsLead authorFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
  • Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition

Find and confirm your course in three steps

  • Check your current subject information

    Look for an exam-board name and qualification code in the class portal, course handbook or school subject page. Check that the information is for your year group. A revision book or an old practice paper is a clue, but it does not establish your current exam entry.

  • Ask the person who can confirm it

    Your subject teacher can confirm the course being taught and chosen topics or texts. Ask the exams officer about your entry, exam series and tier where applicable. If you have a statement of entry, compare its details with what you were expecting and report a mismatch promptly.

  • Match the official qualification page

    Search the awarding body’s own website using the full subject title and specification code. Compare its qualification level, code and applicable dates with the details your school gave you. Save the official page and specification link with your course record; do this separately for every subject.

Copy and adapt

A message you can send to your teacher

When this applies

Use this when you know the subject but cannot confidently identify the right course materials.

Suggested wording

Hello, I am checking my revision resources for [subject], [year group/class]. Please could you confirm the awarding body, full qualification title and specification code we are following, plus the exam series and year? If relevant, could you also confirm my tier and our chosen options or texts? A link to the correct official specification would help. Thank you.

Why this helps

If a detail has not yet been decided, record it as “to be confirmed” and ask when to check again. You can identify the course now without guessing a future entry decision.

Your exam-board record: one copy per subject

Copy these fields into your notes. Complete them from your teacher or centre’s confirmation, then use the official qualification page to check that you have found the matching materials.

Some GCSE subjects in England have Foundation and Higher tiers. Your school or college decides the tier you are entered for, so leave it unconfirmed until you have checked. This is a suggested personal record, not an official entry form.

Fields to record when checking an exam board, course and examination entry.

Field to recordWhat belongs here

Subject and full qualification

[Subject] — [GCSE, International GCSE, AS, A level or other exact title].

Awarding body / exam board

[Name confirmed for this subject], not a board used for another subject.

Specification or syllabus code

[Whole-course code]. Keep individual paper/component codes separately.

Tier, options and texts

[Confirmed choices], “not applicable”, or “to be confirmed”. Do not assume every course has tiers.

Exam series and year

[For example, June followed by your confirmed exam year]. This means the examination session, not the publication year on a book.

Official specification link and version

[Link] plus the version/date and applicable cohort shown on the document.

Confirmation

[Teacher or exams office], [date confirmed], and any detail still awaiting a decision.

Check the qualification as well as the board

England: GCSE, AS and A level

The Ofqual student guide used here covers England. Copy the qualification title and code, not just the board name, and use the specification applying to your course. The AQA example above illustrates code-reading; it is not a recommendation to select AQA materials for every student.

Wales: check your cohort

Qualifications Wales describes reformed GCSEs introduced in waves from September 2025 and September 2026. Confirm the exact qualification and applicable teaching or assessment dates with your school, especially where old and new materials have similar titles.

Northern Ireland, Scotland or an international qualification

Confirm the full qualification title and awarding body with your school or centre, then use its official course documents. The England GCSE and A level examples here do not establish the rules for those other qualifications.

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Can I find my board just by entering my school’s name?

Use a school search result to find its current subject information, then confirm the details for your class. A board name attached to the school does not establish the board, qualification or exam entry for every subject or year group.

What if I am home educated or entering as a private candidate?

Ask the exams officer at the centre arranging your entry to confirm the qualification, specification code, components and exam series it will enter you for. Agree these details before committing to board-specific materials. The course you have studied and the entry the centre can arrange need to match.

How do I find the board for exams I took years ago?

This is a different task from checking a current course. Start with your old certificates or results documents and contact your former school or college if needed. For lost GCSE or A level evidence, GOV.UK’s replacement-certificate guide explains how to contact the relevant board and request a certified statement of results; its guidance also covers former boards. Do not assume the board your old school uses today was the board for your examination year.

Sources and references

Sources and references

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