English

Stack of books

Born from the leading UK GCSEs and A-levels, these International English qualifications are tailored to your needs.

Our International English qualifications are based on by far the most popular specifications in UK schools – representing an average of over 55% of all English-subject GCSEs and 75% of all English-subject A-levels in England. This means when you choose OxfordAQA for your English courses, you’ll benefit from using qualifications based on the most trusted English qualifications in the UK, with content that’s interesting and appropriate for your students.

  • In the development of our International English qualifications we listened carefully to teachers in international schools. You can be therefore be confident that our sources and texts are relevant and stimulating for your students.
  • Our English Language qualifications include a variety of sources that feature a visual stimulus – revealed in our research as being effective in improving the engagement levels of international students.
  • Our English Literature qualifications are also informed by regional research, providing teachers with the right balance of traditional and contemporary texts for maximum choice and flexibility.

Our International GCSE English as a Second Language and International GCSE English Language are aligned with the CEFR. For further information, please see the equivalency grids for International GCSE English as a Second Language and International GCSE English Language.

All our International English qualifications have a Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) component. This gives opportunities for teachers to tailor the course to their students’ strengths and interests.

We offer exemplar and standardising NEA material on our Teacher Online Standardisation (T-OLS) system available on Centre Services.

To access T-OLS:

1. Log in to Centre Services (on the AQA website).

2. Select Teacher Services > Teacher Online Standardisation from the list of services.

3. Select your Level > Subject > Component in the online standardisation system.

"This summer saw our cohort of GCSE English Language students achieve 100% pass success, all acquiring grades 9 to 5."
Camille Catherall, Head of English, Star International School, UAE