Examination boards in the United Kingdom (now more often called awarding bodies or "awarding organisations") are the examination boards responsible for setting and awarding secondary education level qualifications, such as GCSEs, Standard Grades, A Levels, Highers and vocational qualifications, to students in the United Kingdom.
Grades that can be awarded are the following:
- (GCSE)
- A*
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- U
- (BTEC)
- Distinction*
- Distinction
- Merit
- Pass
- Fail
All grades indicate a pass with the exception of a U grade at GCSE and Fail at BTEC. Most courses at GCSE come in Higher (A*-C/D) and Lower (D-G) tiers. Until the mid-1990s, academic exam boards and vocational accreditors were run very much as separate organisations. In more recent times, this distinction has been removed, with all the term 'awarding bodies' now being used. This article focuses on the contemporary and historical awarding bodies that set academic exams in state schools. In everyday terminology, these organisations are still referred to as 'exam boards'.
Broadly speaking, the UK has always had two separate school systems: one for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and one for Scotland. As a result, two separate sets of exam boards have been developed.
Read more about Examination Boards In The United Kingdom: England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland, Examination Boards Working Together
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