Exam boards have different specifications and assessment approaches. The style of questions and their values differ from one to another. This can have an impact on your GCSE grades.
Many students and parents wonder what is the hardest exam board for GCSE?
Well, it’s not that easy to label an exam board as “the hardest.” However, most students see Edexcel as pretty challenging for certain subjects such as STEM.
So, what is the hardest GCSE exam board overall? What do the students say? Let’s find out.
Popular Opinion About The Hardest Exam Board in UK
GCSE students’ opinions about the hardest exam board in the UK are scattered. Skimming through the comments on Quora and Reddit reveals that most students have experience with AQA.
However, only some of them argue that this is a hard exam board. The graph below illustrates the results of a poll on “Which exam board is g e n e r a l l y considered to be the hardest?“
@Thelastvbuck
“My college did AQA for pretty much everything, but apparently for further maths AQA do some pretty horrible questions so we did edexcel for that. Also AQA were useless at doing advance information, but other years don’t have to go through that anymore at least.“
@Itzslashy
“People are saying edexcel because of the math test but in general AQA has the hardest mark scheme and question wording.”
@Wert315:
“It’s also worth noting that the exam boards are required to be fairly standardised, so there’s not likely to be a massive difference.“
@Liviothan:
“I’d personally say AQA simply because their spec is so vague that it’s not helpful at all.“@Kevotheregra:
“OCR B for like phsycis and chem is very awkward but not terribly difficult.”
Liam Doan:
“Generally, exam boards try to maintain the same standards as other exam boards, meaning Pearson Edexcel should be as easy or hard as AQA. Exam boards also follow the same rules for setting grade boundaries – so if one exam was particularly difficult grade boundaries would be lowered. This should mean grades and attainment are the same across exam boards.“
Comparing GCSE Exam Boards
The Department of Education sets the national curriculum; exam boards design and develop exam papers based on this framework. The UK has five major exam boards, each with a particular reputation.
Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) oversees everything. They make sure everything is based on the national curriculum and exams are at the same difficulty level.
However, some exam boards are perceived as more challenging than others, especially in certain subjects, due to the way they structure their questions and assessments.
This highlights the perception of differing difficulty levels while maintaining that the exams are still regulated relatively. What is the hardest exam board for GCSE, Edexcel vs AQA vs OCR?
Edexcel Exam Board
Edexcel is an awarding body in Pearson, a major education and publication company. Thanks to its high standards, Edexcel’s qualifications are internationally recognised. It offers qualifications in GCSEs, international GCSEs, A-levels, BETECs, functional skills, and alternatives to GCSEs.
Key features:
- Covers various subjects with a focus on STEM subjects.
- Known for more detailed and challenging questions.
- Covers practicals and coursework.
- More international acceptability.
Edexcel is widely regarded as the most challenging board for STEM subjects. This is because Edexcel exams have multi-step questions that require a deeper understanding of the topics.
AQA Exam Board
AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) covers various subjects in GCSEs and A-levels. AQA is known for designing straightforward questions, explicit mark schemes, and user-friendly exam formats. You can also find valuable resources, including past papers, on their website.
Key features:
- Moderate questions.
- Balanced content coverage.
- Obtains various question styles to match different learning styles
- Seamless correspondence between exam topics and the syllabus.
Some students still find certain AQA subjects quite challenging. This is mainly because of the large amount of content to cover or the specific challenges within those subjects. What are the hardest GCSEs ranked?
Most students find AQA English literature and science quite challenging.
OCR Exam Board
OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) is part of the Cambridge Assessment Department. It offers qualifications at different levels and in various subjects. OCR is famous for its rigorous and high-quality academic qualifications.
Key Features:
- Famous for its academic rigour, especially in History and English literature.
- Assessments of essay-based subjects are believed to be harder.
- Emphasises higher-order thinking in assessments.
OCR highly values essay writing and analysis skills. Many students find OCR essay-based subjects such as History and English literature hard.
WJEC Exam Board
WJEC is an independent awarding body founded initially to design and administer exams in Wales. WJEC also covers various subjects, focusing on Welsh culture and language. Of course, WJEC supports bilingual education, and students can also acquire qualifications in English.
Key features:
- Focus on bilingual education.
- Flexibility in assessment methods.
WJEC sometimes incorporates coursework and practical elements.
Some students find the WJEC approach quite enjoyable. But if you’re not a big fan of coursework and endpoint exams, you might find WJEC challenging.
In some subjects, like Sciences and WJEC Sociology, students mention that there is too much to cover.
CCEA Exam Board
CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment) is an awarding body in Northern Ireland. It offers GCSEs, A-levels, Vocational Qualifications, and Key Stage Assessments in various subjects, including the Irish language.
Key features:
- Emphasis on continuous assessment and modular courses.
- Focus on the Irish Language and local history.
CCEA isn’t necessarily harder than other exam boards, but its specific challenges, such as modular assessments and a local focus, can make it feel difficult for some students.
For students studying the Irish Language, CCEA’s exams can be challenging, especially if they’re not fluent. The language exams assess all skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), which can be challenging for learners who are still building their fluency.
Sharpen Your Exam Skills with Exam Board-Based Lessons
Ostado is a leading tutoring platform that provides personalised lesson plans for students around the UK. Our expert GCSE tutors help you build your knowledge and skills to succeed at your GCSEs.
All the lessons and study guides will be based on your learning style and exam board. Plus, our dedicated education supporters will be there for you every step of your path.
Which GCSE Exam Board is The Hardest for Core Subjects?
How many GCSEs can you take? How many of them are mandatory? Maths, English and science are your core GCSE subjects. Where to take them?
It’s pretty subjective to say that one exam board has the hardest GCSE in a particular subject compared to others.
- According to the statistics from past exams, AQA maths is more complicated than Edexcel and OCR. Contrarily, Edexcel is more famous for straightforward GCSE maths, while, overall, it’s the hardest exam board for GCSE, according to the poll.
- For science, the general perception is that AQA exams are easier and OCR and Edexcel are more demanding.
- It’s also the same story for GCSE English. More students think that AQA English is easier than Edexcel and OCR.
According to the findings and statistics, GCSE maths is the hardest GCSE, and most students need a tutor to achieve high GCSE results. You can find your preferred GCSE maths tutor on Ostado for high-quality and personalised maths lessons to improve your maths skills.
The Best Exam Board for You
No matter which GCSE exam board you take, you still need a personalised and realistic revision plan. You can use GCSE revision timetable templates to organise your time and maximise productivity.
In the end, everything comes down to your decisions. You should set your goals and answer these questions to decide which exam board is more suitable (not easier) for you.
- What are your favourite subjects?
- What is your learning style and preferred assessment method?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses in education?
- What subjects do you want to study for Further and Higher Education?
- Which college or university do you want to apply for?
- Are you going to study abroad?
FAQs - The Hardest Exam Board for GCSES
- What GCSE exam board is the hardest?Based on GCSE students' perception, Edexcel is generally more challenging than other exam boards, while there are subjects where Edexcel is more straightforward.
- Which GCSE exam board is easiest?Most GCSE students believe that OCR is easier than AQA and Edexcel. Then again, there are exceptions. For instance, OCR GCSE English and History are believed to be more demanding than other exam boards.
- Is AQA or Edexcel harder?Edexcel is generally harder, thanks to its world-class standards and international popularity. AQA is more popular in England, but it's not necessarily the easiest exam board. For instance, AQA maths is more difficult than Edexcel maths.
- Is OCR or AQA harder?AQA is generally more rigid than OCR. However, English and History exams in OCR are more challenging than in AQA.
- What is the most challenging GCSE exam?According to Ofqual statistics, the most challenging GCSE exam is Maths. However, the GCSE difficulty polls (students' perception of difficulty for each subject) show that students believe that GCSE chemistry is the hardest.