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Exam board

An organisation that writes specifications, sets and marks exams and awards qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels, for example AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas and CCEA.

Used in
All four UK nations (details may differ)
Topic
Organisations

Being checked against official sources. This definition is written in our own words; always check the official guidance for your country.

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Awarding organisation (AO) All four UK nations (details may differ)
A body recognised by a regulator to develop, award and certificate qualifications. In everyday school use, an exam board.
Specification All four UK nations (details may differ)
The exam board document setting out the content, assessment and grading of a qualification. Often called the spec; the US equivalent idea is a course framework.

More terms: Organisations

ASCL · Independent Schools Council · Joint Council for Qualifications · NASUWT · QAA

More terms starting with E · Education glossary A–Z · Get a TIP for your class

Definitions are written by Classfern in our own words for teachers in the UK and the US. They are short explanations, not legal or official definitions: always check the official guidance for your country, nation or state. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government department, inspectorate or exam board named here.