JCQ Exam Policies and Regulations

Who are JCQ and why are they important?

When your child takes their GCSEs, A Levels, or other public exams, the rules and standards are set by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). JCQ is not an exam board itself but acts as the organisation that oversees all the main exam boards in the UK, including AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel, WJEC and others.

Their role is to make sure that exams are run fairly and consistently across every school and college. JCQ sets the regulations that schools follow when preparing for, running, and marking exams. This includes things like:

How exam papers are kept secure before the exam
What students can and cannot bring into the exam hall
How access arrangements (such as extra time) are provided
How any problems or special circumstances are handled

By having JCQ in place, parents and students can feel reassured that every candidate is treated equally, no matter which exam board is awarding the qualification.