General administration
You can find information about all aspects of administration, as well as all the forms you need, at aqa.org.uk/examsadmin
Entries and codes
You only need to make one entry for each qualification – this will cover all the question papers and certification.
Every specification is given a national discount (classification) code by the Department for Education (DfE), which indicates its subject area.
If a student takes two specifications with the same discount code:- further and higher education providers are likely to take the view that they have only achieved one of the two qualifications
- only one of them will be counted for the purpose of the School and College Performance tables – the DfE's rules on 'early entry' will determine which one.
| Qualification title | Option | AQA entry code | DfE discount code |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA GCSE in Chinese (Spoken Mandarin) | Foundation Tier | 8673F | TBC |
| Higher Tier | 8673H | TBC |
This specification complies with:
- Ofqual General conditions of recognition that apply to all regulated qualifications
- Ofqual GCSE qualification level conditions that apply to all GCSEs
- Ofqual GCSE subject level conditions that apply to all GCSEs in this subject
- all other relevant regulatory documents.
The Ofqual qualification accreditation number (QAN) is 603/1210/5.
Overlaps with other qualifications
There are no overlaps with any other AQA qualifications at this level.
Awarding grades and reporting results
The qualification will be graded on a nine-point scale: 1 to 9 – where 9 is the best grade.
A student taking Foundation Tier assessments will be awarded a grade within the range of 1 to 5. Students who fail to reach the minimum standard for grade 1 will be recorded as U (unclassified) and will not receive a qualification certificate.
A student taking Higher Tier assessments will be awarded a grade within the range of 4 to 9. A student sitting the Higher tier who just fails to achieve grade 4 will be awarded an allowed grade 3. Students who fail to reach the minimum standard for the allowed grade 3 will be recorded as U (unclassified) and will not receive a qualification certificate.
Resits and shelf life
Students can resit the qualification as many times as they wish, within the shelf life of the qualification.
Previous learning and prerequisites
There are no previous learning requirements. Any requirements for entry to a course based on this specification are at the discretion of schools and colleges.
Access to assessment: diversity and inclusion
General qualifications are designed to prepare students for a wide range of occupations and further study. Therefore our qualifications must assess a wide range of competences.
The subject criteria have been assessed to see if any of the skills or knowledge required present any possible difficulty to any students, whatever their ethnic background, religion, sex, age, disability or sexuality. Tests of specific competences were only included if they were important to the subject.
As members of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) we participate in the production of the JCQ document Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments: General and Vocational qualifications. We follow these guidelines when assessing the needs of individual students who may require an access arrangement or reasonable adjustment. This document is published at jcq.org.uk
Students with disabilities and special needs
We're required by the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to remove or lessen any disadvantage that affects a disabled student.
We can make arrangements for disabled students and students with special needs to help them access the assessments, as long as the competences being tested aren't changed. Access arrangements must be agreed before the assessment. For example, a Braille paper would be a reasonable adjustment for a Braille reader.
To arrange access arrangements or reasonable adjustments, you can apply using the online service at aqa.org.uk/eaqa
Special consideration
We can give special consideration to students who have been disadvantaged at the time of the assessment through no fault of their own – for example a temporary illness, injury or serious problem such as family bereavement. We can only do this after the assessment.
Your exams officer should apply online for special consideration at aqa.org.uk/eaqa
For more information and advice visit aqa.org.uk/access or email accessarrangementsqueries@aqa.org.uk
Working with AQA for the first time
If your school or college hasn't previously offered our specifications, you need to register as an AQA centre. Find out how at aqa.org.uk/becomeacentre
Private candidates
This specification is available to private candidates.
A private candidate is someone who enters for exams through an AQA approved school or college but is not enrolled as a student there.
A private candidate may be self-taught, home schooled or have private tuition, either with a tutor or through a distance learning organisation. They must be based in the UK.
If you have any queries as a private candidate, you can:- speak to the exams officer at the school or college where you intend to take your exams
- visit our website at aqa.org.uk/privatecandidates
- email privatecandidates@aqa.org.uk
