Welcome to BFS's Exam Centre. This page should provide you with important information to help you navigate the upcoming exam seasons. Should you have any questions or concerns please email exams@bristolfreeschool.org.uk. We're here to help you!
Contacts
Exams Officer: Mrs Jenny Ashton
Exams Administrator: Mrs Katy
Bainbridge
Office opening hours: 8.00am - 4.00pm (Mon - Thurs) 8.00am - 3.30pm (Fri) (term time only)
Important Dates and Timetables 2025/26
- November Resits
- November GCSE & A Level Mocks
- January BTEC Exams
- January Y12 Mocks
- February GCSE & A Level Mocks
- April Y10 Mocks
- Summer Series GCSE & A Level
Exam Contingency Dates
There is one exam contingency date that students must keep free for the summer 2026 exam season should any
national emergency take place that affects exams. The date is all day on Wednesday 24 June
2026.
PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANY HOLIDAY PLANS UNTIL AFTER WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
2026.
GCE (A Level) Results Day - Thursday 13 August 2026
GCSE
Results Day - Thursday 20 August 2026 (November Resit Results: 8 January 2026)
Regulations/Information for Candidates
All exams are undertaken within guidelines. These are set by the exam boards via The Joint Council for
Qualifications (JCQ). The school also provide their own policy to prevent students committing
malpractice.
It is important that all students taking exams are familiar with the content of these
documents.
They are valid for all 2024/25 exam seasons.
Preparing to sit your exams 2024/25
Warning to candidates 2024/25
FAQs
Using Calculators 2024/25
Unauthorised Items Poster 2024/25
Food & Drink Policy (Exams) 2024/25
JCQ Instructions for conducting examinations 2024/25
JCQ AI poster for students 2024/25
IFC Written Examinations 2024/25
IFC On Screen Examinations 2024/25
Exam Board Privacy Policies 2024/25
Assemblies occur throughout the year to cover
the content.
NEA/Coursework Information
NEA is marked internally by your teachers and verified with the school Trust representatives. Students will
then be given, in writing, the marks awarded and you will have 5 days to appeal the marks. After this point
the marks are submitted to the exam board. The exam board request, at random, a selection of student work to
mark and standardise against the mark scheme. Any changes which occur will be shown on results day. Please
note, grade boundaries can vary each year and are not published until results day.
Should you feel that
the marks awarded for your coursework are not accurate, you may wish to request a review. Reviews can
only be conducted if you feel that the work has been incorrectly marked against the relevant mark
scheme. You should be aware that if work is reviewed, marks potentially could be altered upwards or
downwards. Please read your NEA letter carefully and then follow this link to complete the form to request a
review, using the mark scheme to indicate where you feel the mark scheme has not been applied
correctly.
NEA, Coursework and Project Appeals Policy
NEA, Coursework and Project Appeals Form
Please find links to important information regarding Non-Examination Assessments.
IFC Coursework Assessments 2024
IFC NE Assessments 2024
JCQ AI poster for students
JCQ Social Media Infographic
Exam Board Privacy Policies
Results - A Level
Year 13 results can be collected on site from 9am on Thursday 14 August from the Drama Studio, via the main gate. Your results envelope contains important information including a breakdown of the marks achieved for each paper. It also gives you all the relevant information about to how to apply for post results services.
Grade boundaries can be found at the following websites ON results day.
AQA: AQA | Exams admin |
Results days | Grade boundaries
Pearson: Grade
boundaries | Pearson qualifications
OCR: Grade boundaries (ocr.org.uk)
Eduqas /
WJEC: Results
and Grade Boundaries (eduqas.co.uk)
Results will also be emailed to students’ school email
addresses before midday on results day. If you are on holiday abroad, you will not be able to access your
school email address. Results uncollected will be posted to the address kept on file. Any change of address
should be notified through the official change of details process. The centre does not take any responsibility
for results information sent out to addresses where this process has not been followed.
Results can only be given to the student. If you are abroad, we can release results either:
- By nominating someone else to collect your results on your behalf, this person will need to bring in photographic ID on the day for results to be released.
- Via Parent/Guardian Email (ensure your details are correct on the MIS system, these can be checked via MIS).
If you would prefer either of the above options, please complete ‘Results Collection Form’ via the link below, all forms should be submitted by 30 July 2025 via your Microsoft student login, parents will be unable to complete this form on your behalf.
Results Collection
Form
If you are concerned about any aspect of your results, staff will be available on results
day to support you.
Results - GCSE
Year 11 results can be collected on site from 8.30am on Thursday 21 August from the Drama Studio, via the main gate, please see email correspondence with timings as collection is per tutor group. Your results envelope contains important information including a breakdown of the marks achieved for each paper. It also gives you all the relevant information about to how to apply for post results services.
Grade boundaries can be found at the following websites ON results day.
AQA: AQA | Exams admin |
Results days | Grade boundaries
Pearson: Grade
boundaries | Pearson qualifications
OCR: Grade boundaries (ocr.org.uk)
Eduqas /
WJEC: Results
and Grade Boundaries (eduqas.co.uk)
Results will also be emailed to students’ school email
addresses before midday on results day. If you are on holiday abroad, you will not be able to access your
school email address. Results uncollected will be posted to the address kept on file. Any change of address
should be notified through the official change of details process. The centre does not take any responsibility
for results information sent out to addresses where this process has not been followed.
Results can only be given to the student. If you are abroad, we can release results either:
- By nominating someone else to collect your results on your behalf, this person will need to bring in photographic ID on the day for results to be released.
- Via Parent/Guardian Email (ensure your details are correct on the MIS system, these can be checked via MIS).
If you would prefer either of the above options, please complete ‘Results Collection Form’ via the link below, all forms should be submitted by 30 July 2025 via your Microsoft student login, parents will be unable to complete this form on your behalf.
If you are concerned about any aspect of your results, staff will be available on results day to support you.
Out of Year Results
Year 10 RP and Home Language and Year12 BTEC/Core Maths – all results will be emailed to student email addresses and uploaded to your student portal on the 14/21 August. You will also receive your results in September from your tutor.
Review of Results
All exam boards follow the same review of results procedure as set out by the JCQ in this document: Post-Results-Service_25_FINAL
If
you have concerns with how the mark scheme has been applied to your papers, on results day there will be
subject leaders on hand to talk through this process.
Priority Review of Marking - only for students applying to higher education who did not attain their first choice and wish to appeal an A Level or other Level 3 qualification result, deadline 20 August 2025. Please talk to staff on results day or email the exams office.
Non-Priority Review of Marking - for GCSE and Non-Priority A-Level. For any student and is applied at the start of September. Firstly, Heads of Department and Senior Leadership Team will analyse exam results, parents/students will be contacted individually regarding suggested review of marking by 5 September 2025. If you have not been contacted by 6 September 2025 and wish to discuss grades, please email exams@bristolfreeschool.org.uk. Deadline 12 September 2025.
The current fees are set out below, however these are subject to change, this is the price PER PAPER and subject to an admin fee of £5 per paper. Access to scripts is also £5 per paper.
Please note the school deadlines differ from JCQ deadlines, this is so the school can meet the deadlines are
set by the JCQ, not at a centre level, and once the deadline has passed, we will be unable to submit for a
review of marking.
Fees:
AQA - Review
and priority review of marking
Pearson - Fees
for post-results services (from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025) | Pearson
qualifications
WJEC - Post-Results
Services and Appeals
OCR - Reviews
of marking
It is possible for your grade to go up or down during this process, so please consider your options carefully.
The deadline for a ‘Priority Review of Marking’ is 20 August 2025. The deadline for a ‘Review of
Marking’ is 12 September 2025. The Exam Department operates during term time only but will be available for
priority reviews.
