The approach each GCSE exam board takes towards question design and exam format can be a decisive factor in whether you get good results. So, you have every right to be concerned about which GCSE exam board is the hardest.
The long and short of it is that we can’t choose one exam board as the easiest or the hardest. But if you are looking for one word, we can say that Edexcel is more associated with challenging exams. AQA is next in line, and OXR is less popular than the former.
Comparing GCSE Exam Boards
There are five exam boards in the UK, each with a particular reputation.
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, and functional skills.
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.
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.
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.
Stress levels reach their highest point on the GCSE results day and it’s usually because you don’t know what’s awaiting you. Click on “What Happens on GCSE Results Day” to learn more.
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.
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 course.
- Focus on the Irish Language and local history.
| Comparing GCSE Exam Boards in England | |||
| Factor | AQA | Edexcel | OCR |
| Content Coverage | Comprehensive, balanced, covers a wide range of subjects | Extensive, detailed, and particularly challenging in STEM subjects | Wide-ranging, academically rigorous, especially in traditional subjects |
| Assessment Style | A mix of exams, controlled assessments, multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions | Primarily exam-based; practicals and coursework in some subjects | Combination of multiple-choice, short-answer, essays, and practical exams |
| Past Paper Analysis | Fair, balanced questions; accessible but comprehensive | Challenging, particularly in Maths and Science; higher-order thinking questions | Rigorous, especially in essay-based subjects, requires detailed, critical responses |
Disclaimer:
Ofqual regulates all exam boards in the UK and oversees that all exam boards retain equality in content, style, and educational standards. There are only some minor differences in mark schemes and the format of the exam. So, it’s not equitable to label one exam board as the hardest or easiest.
Popular Opinion About the Exam Boards’ Difficulty Level
Deciding which exam board is easier or harder is quite subjective. You might hear stories about whichever exam board is the hardest or easiest, but all exam boards must comply with the standards set by Ofqual. The thing is that even if an exam board designs more complex questions, the award it offers is more credible.
Students’ Opinion of GCSE Exam Boards Difficulty Level
GCSE students’ opinions about the hardest exam boards are scattered. As I was skimming through the comments on Quora and Reddit, I understood that most of them 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.“
The Hardest Exam Board for Core Subjects
Again, it’s pretty subjective to say that one exam board has the hardest GCSE in a particular subject compared to others. However, 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.
We have another article on “the hardest GCSEs ranked,” where you can find more details about the complexity of the GCSE subjects. 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, personalised, and affordable maths lessons and improve your maths knowledge.
The Best Exam Board for You
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 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?
Lastly, 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.
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.