Online A Levels: Can You Sit A Level Exams From Home?

Yes, you can sit A Level exams from home by taking a Pearson Edexcel International A Level, which is sat online with a live Pearson invigilator watching over you. If you’ve got your Functional Skills under your belt and you’re wondering whether online A Levels could be your next step, this guide walks you through how it all works.

Pass Learn’s page on online A Levels sets out the full picture, and we’ve pulled the key points together below. If you’d like to talk anything through, get in touch on the number below or via the contact form.

Online A Levels Helpline: 020 4634 1407

The Step After Functional Skills

Pass Learn’s guide to returning to A Levels later in life lists the reasons adults go for them: getting into university, changing career, moving on to further study such as a degree or an Access to HE Diploma, resitting an old grade or simply ticking off a personal milestone.

The good news is that adult candidates sit the same specifications and papers as everyone else, and they’re marked in the same way. Your certificate doesn’t mention that you studied as a private candidate, and A Levels carry UCAS points. Sitting from home also means no travelling and no booking time off work for every paper.

Which A Levels Can You Sit at Home?

This is where it pays to be precise. UK A Levels from AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC, plus Cambridge International A Levels, can all be studied online, but the exams themselves are always sat at an exam centre. Pass Learn arranges the centre for those and registers you as a private candidate.

The Pearson Edexcel International A Level is different, because it can be sat online from home. Through Pass Learn, 12 subjects are available this way: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Economics, English Language, English Literature, Geography, History, Law, Maths, Physics and Psychology. English Language, English Literature and History are typed onscreen, while the rest are paper-based, so you handwrite your answers and then scan and upload every page.

Only the written papers are sat online, so there’s no coursework, practical work or speaking test, and mock exams are only ever sat at a centre.

How Sitting an Exam at Home Works

Pass Learn describes itself as one of the only providers in the world offering this, and it’s open to anyone, with no evidence or reason needed. Once you book through the online checkout, the exams team gets in touch within one working day.

From there, Pass Learn enters you with Pearson as a remote invigilation candidate and guides you through the ID check and familiarisation. Pearson runs the familiarisation session, which includes a tech check and is compulsory. If you skip it, Pearson removes your entry and there’s no refund.

On the day, your International A Level exam starts at 07:00 or 10:00 UK time. According to the remote invigilation guidance from Pearson, the invigilator can see and hear you throughout, but you can’t see or hear them. They only talk to you by typing in a chat box, and sessions are recorded for quality and safeguarding.

Pass Learn also has a full guide to sitting A Level exams online with a Pearson invigilator.

Getting Your Home Set Up

You’ll need valid, in-date photo ID, such as a passport, national identity card, driving licence or UK citizenship card. There are two ID checks. After you book, the exams team asks for a photo of your ID with the details Pearson needs and sends it with your entry. Then, at the start of each familiarisation session and each exam, you hold your ID up to the camera for Pearson’s invigilator.

You’ll also need three devices: a laptop with a webcam kept on mains power, a phone with Pearson’s app and a charged backup recorder with enough storage. Paper-based subjects also need a printer and scanner with plenty of ink and paper. You’ll be in a quiet, private room rather than a shared space.

Finally, you’ll need a responsible adult, such as a parent, guardian or another adult who isn’t your tutor or teacher. They’re there when you log in, then stay available outside the room for the whole exam. They supervise any toilet break and call Pearson’s helpline if your connection drops.

Six Subjects to Have a Look At

Each of these is a Pearson Edexcel International A Level, and booking covers every paper, familiarisation, results and a Pearson certificate.

The online A Level Psychology exam is made up of four paper-based units, running from social and cognitive psychology to clinical psychology and psychological skills. It’s sat in the Summer series only.

If you’d rather type than handwrite, the online A Level History exam is sat onscreen across four two-hour papers. It’s a Summer series subject.

The online A Level Law exam has two paper-based papers of three hours each. One covers the underlying principles of law and the English legal system, and the other looks at the law in action, with five compulsory 20-mark questions on each paper. Law is sat in the Summer series only.

Four paper-based units make up the online A Level Geography exam: Global Challenges, Geographical Investigations, Contested Planet and Researching Geography. Like Law, it’s sat in the Summer series.

The online A Level Economics exam runs in both the Summer and October series. Its four units cover markets, macroeconomic policy, business behaviour and the global economy, using multiple-choice, data response and essay questions.

Last but not least, the online A Level Business exam also offers Summer and October sittings. Its four two-hour papers cover marketing and people, managing business activities, business decisions and strategy, and global business.

Will Universities Accept It?

UK universities accept International A Levels grade for grade, and they’re internationally recognised. Pearson describes its Pearson Edexcel International A Levels as globally recognised qualifications, comparable to GCE AS and A levels.

Because the specification differs from UK A Levels, it’s worth checking your course’s entry requirements before you choose.

Studying Before Exam Day

A course is optional. Pass Learn’s courses are built around the specification by subject specialists, with lessons, practice questions, topic tests and mock exams. They’re self-paced with no term dates, and most people take one to two years.

Courses from Pass A Level are another option, with 100% online learning, a personal learning plan and worked solutions. All you need is a smart device, an internet connection and some time.

Conclusion

If Functional Skills gave you a taste of what you can achieve, A Levels could be your next step. The Pearson Edexcel International A Level lets you sit your papers from home with a live Pearson invigilator, as long as you’ve got the right ID, kit, room and responsible adult in place. Take a look at Pass Learn’s guide to online A Levels to see which subjects and series suit you.

Online A Levels Helpline: 020 4634 1407

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need a Reason to Sit My Exams at Home?

No. Sitting from home is open to anyone, and you don’t need to give any evidence or reason for choosing remote invigilation.

Can I Sit My Exam From Outside the UK?

Yes, as long as Pearson offers remote invigilation in your country, as it isn’t available everywhere. Exam times are in UK time, so check the time zone where you live.

Is the Familiarisation Session a Mock Exam?

No. It’s a compulsory session run by Pearson that includes a tech check, and your answers aren’t marked.

Can I Resit Just One Unit?

Bookings cover the whole subject, including all of its papers. If you only want to resit some units, it’s best to speak to an adviser first.

Written by

Pass Functional Skills Team

We help thousands of students each year with revision, courses and online exams.