{"id":85,"date":"2026-10-25T12:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T12:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/?p=85"},"modified":"2026-10-18T13:16:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T13:16:03","slug":"gcses-for-home-educated-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/exam-tips\/gcses-for-home-educated-students","title":{"rendered":"GCSEs for Home Educated Students: Taking Exams as a Private Candidate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Home educated students take GCSEs as private candidates. You study at home, then book each exam at an approved exam centre, pay the fees yourself and sit the papers there. For June 2027 the official entry deadline is 21 February 2027, but centres fill up and close earlier, so book in the autumn.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This guide to GCSEs for home educated students walks you through it step by step. We cover whether you have to take GCSEs, how to find an exam centre, what it costs, and why so many home educated families pick IGCSEs.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s written for teenagers studying at home and their parents. By the end you&#8217;ll have a clear two-year plan and a checklist you can tick off.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-keybox\">\n<h4>At a glance<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Home educated students sit GCSEs and IGCSEs as private candidates<\/li>\n<li>Exams are taken at an approved exam centre, never at home<\/li>\n<li>June 2027 entry deadline: 21 February 2027 (JCQ), centre deadlines are earlier<\/li>\n<li>First exam: 10 May 2027. GCSE results day: 19 August 2027<\/li>\n<li>Families pay the fees, set by each centre<\/li>\n<li>Many IGCSEs have no coursework, which makes them easier to arrange<\/li>\n<li>English and maths at grade 4 or above open the most doors after 16<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Do home educated students have to take GCSEs?<\/h2>\n<p>No. In England, education is compulsory but school isn&#8217;t, and no law says a home educated child must take GCSEs or any other exam. Lots of families still choose to, and with good reason.<\/p>\n<p>GCSEs are the qualification colleges, sixth forms, apprenticeships and employers look for. English and maths matter most. If you go on to college without grade 4 (a standard pass) in English and maths, you&#8217;ll usually have to keep studying them there.<\/p>\n<p>So most home educated children aim for at least English and maths, plus a few subjects they enjoy or need for A levels. You don&#8217;t have to take them all at once: some home schooled students sit one or two subjects a year from Year 9 or Year 10, and others take them in Year 11 like everyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Universities look at GCSE grades too, especially English and maths. If full GCSEs feel like too much right now, Functional Skills qualifications in English and maths are another route some families use.<\/p>\n<p>Home education is growing fast. The Department for Education counted 126,000 children in elective home education in England on census day in autumn 2025, up from 111,700 a year earlier. Across a whole school year the total is even higher.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-bars\">\n<h4>Children home educated in England<\/h4>\n<p class=\"bl-bars-sub\">Children in elective home education at any point in the school year<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-bar\"><span class=\"bl-bar-label\">2022\/23<\/span><span class=\"bl-bar-track\"><span class=\"bl-bar-fill\" style=\"--v:72\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"bl-bar-val\">126,100 (est.)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"bl-bar\"><span class=\"bl-bar-label\">2023\/24<\/span><span class=\"bl-bar-track\"><span class=\"bl-bar-fill\" style=\"--v:87\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"bl-bar-val\">153,300<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"bl-bar hi\"><span class=\"bl-bar-label\">2024\/25<\/span><span class=\"bl-bar-track\"><span class=\"bl-bar-fill\" style=\"--v:100\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"bl-bar-val\">175,900<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"bl-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk\/find-statistics\/elective-home-education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department for Education, Elective home education, autumn term 2025\/26 (published January 2026)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The same figures show the numbers rise with age: over a third of home educated children in autumn 2025 were in Years 10 or 11, the two GCSE years. So if you&#8217;re planning exams from home, you&#8217;re far from alone.<\/p>\n<h2>How GCSEs for home educated students work<\/h2>\n<p>When you&#8217;re in school, the school enters you for exams. When you&#8217;re home schooled, you do that job yourself. You become a private candidate: someone who sits exams at a school or college where they aren&#8217;t enrolled.<\/p>\n<p>Exam boards such as AQA, Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge don&#8217;t enter students directly. Everything goes through an exam centre. Here&#8217;s the whole journey, step by step.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Pick your subjects and the exact exam board and code for each.<\/li>\n<li>Find exam centres near you that take private candidates (use the JCQ list).<\/li>\n<li>Ask each centre about fees, deadlines and any practicals, speaking tests or coursework.<\/li>\n<li>Book your entries and pay before the centre&#8217;s deadline (usually autumn to early winter).<\/li>\n<li>Apply for any access arrangements, such as extra time, through the centre.<\/li>\n<li>Study the course, then practise past papers under timed conditions.<\/li>\n<li>Sit the exams at the centre in May and June, then collect your results in August.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Choose subjects, find a centre, book early, then study. Leaving the booking until spring is the most common mistake.<\/p>\n<h3>Finding an exam centre<\/h3>\n<p>Start with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jcq.org.uk\/exams-office\/private-candidates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JCQ private candidates page<\/a>. JCQ (the Joint Council for Qualifications) runs the rules for GCSE exams, and keeps a search tool of schools and colleges that have said they accept private candidates. In October 2026 it listed 190 centres.<\/p>\n<p>That list isn&#8217;t every exam centre. Local schools, colleges and specialist private exam centres may also take you, so it&#8217;s worth phoning around. Each exam centre decides for itself whether to accept you, which subjects it offers and what it charges.<\/p>\n<p>Ask every centre the same questions: which exam boards do you offer, what&#8217;s the total fee per subject, when&#8217;s your deadline, and can you run any practicals, speaking tests or coursework the subject needs?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bl-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog-articles\/gcses-for-home-educated-students\/exam-hall.jpg\" alt=\"A school sports hall set out with exam desks, where home educated students sit GCSEs as private candidates\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"670\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"bl-caption\">As a private candidate you sit your papers in a school or college exam hall, alongside that centre&#8217;s own students.<\/p>\n<h3>Entry deadlines for June 2027<\/h3>\n<p>JCQ&#8217;s key dates for the June 2027 series give 21 February 2027 as the deadline for GCSE entries. The first exam is on 10 May 2027, the last GCSE exam is on 18 June 2027, and GCSE results come out on 19 August 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Your exam centre will set its own deadline, often well before February, and charge late fees after it. Aim to have every entry booked by the end of the autumn term. If you need access arrangements, such as extra time or a reader, the centre has to apply for them too, so mention it when you first get in touch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-tool bl-countdown\" data-date=\"2027-05-10T09:00\" data-label=\"the first GCSE exam of summer 2027\"><\/div>\n<p>That date comes from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jcq.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Key_Dates_June2027_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JCQ&#8217;s key dates for June 2027<\/a>. Count back from it when you plan your study.<\/p>\n<h3>How much do GCSEs cost when you&#8217;re home schooled?<\/h3>\n<p>There&#8217;s no fixed price. Each exam centre sets its own fee, which covers the exam board&#8217;s charge plus the centre&#8217;s costs for rooms and invigilators (the staff who supervise exams). The BBC reported in April 2026 that private GCSEs can cost hundreds of pounds per exam.<\/p>\n<p>The Department for Education&#8217;s guidance for parents says families who home educate take on the full cost, including exams. Some help exists, though. A few councils and projects support exam costs, such as the University of Exeter&#8217;s free exam centre pilot with Devon and Cornwall councils. Ask your council&#8217;s home education team what&#8217;s available near you.<\/p>\n<p>Colleges can also enrol some home educated 14 to 16 year olds on their courses, which can include GCSE English and maths. Ask your local further education college if it does this.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-cta bl-cta-slim\">\n<p><b>Studying for your GCSEs at home?<\/b> Try short lessons that follow your exam board&#8217;s specification. The first three lessons of every course are free.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"bl-btn bl-btn-main bl-btn-small\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/courses.php\">Find your course \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>GCSE or IGCSE: which suits home education?<\/h2>\n<p>This is the big decision. An International GCSE (IGCSE) is a qualification at the same level as a GCSE, set by Pearson Edexcel or Cambridge International. Both are graded and widely accepted by colleges and sixth forms.<\/p>\n<p>The difference for home educated students is practical. Some GCSEs include work that has to be done or checked at a centre, such as science practicals, a spoken language task, fieldwork or coursework. A centre that doesn&#8217;t know you may not offer that, or may charge extra. Many IGCSEs are assessed only by written exams, or have an exam paper you can take instead of coursework.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what the exam boards say for some popular subjects (checked October 2026).<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-table-wrap\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Subject<\/th>\n<th>What a private candidate needs<\/th>\n<th>Source<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>AQA GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science<\/td>\n<td>The centre must let you carry out all the required practicals<\/td>\n<td>AQA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>AQA GCSE English Language<\/td>\n<td>The centre must give you the chance to do the spoken language part (or carry forward a result from June 2017 on)<\/td>\n<td>AQA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>AQA GCSE Geography<\/td>\n<td>Fieldwork on two separate occasions, with a declaration from the centre<\/td>\n<td>AQA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>AQA GCSE Sociology, Psychology, Business, History<\/td>\n<td>No extra conditions: written exams only<\/td>\n<td>AQA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Biology (4BI1)<\/td>\n<td>Two written papers. Practical skills are tested inside them<\/td>\n<td>Pearson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cambridge IGCSE sciences<\/td>\n<td>A practical test or a written Alternative to Practical paper. Check which your centre offers<\/td>\n<td>Cambridge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460)<\/td>\n<td>Paper 4 Geographical Investigations (1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks) instead of coursework<\/td>\n<td>Cambridge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>See the full list on <a href=\"https:\/\/aqa.org.uk\/student-and-parent-support\/private-candidates\/subjects-and-qualifications\/gcses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AQA&#8217;s page for private candidates<\/a>. Cambridge IGCSEs also run in a November series as well as June, which gives you a second chance each year.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bl-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog-articles\/gcses-for-home-educated-students\/fieldwork.jpg\" alt=\"Two GCSE students doing a geography pedestrian count on a town high street\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"670\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"bl-caption\">Fieldwork like this pedestrian count is part of AQA GCSE Geography, so a private candidate needs a centre that can sign it off.<\/p>\n<h2>Choosing your subjects<\/h2>\n<p>Start with English and maths. They&#8217;re the two subjects almost every next step asks for. Then add science if you might want science A levels, and two or three subjects you&#8217;re genuinely interested in.<\/p>\n<p>Many home educated students take fewer GCSEs than students in school, and that&#8217;s fine. Check the entry requirements for the college or sixth form you might apply to, and pick from there.<\/p>\n<p>Always match your books and course to the exact exam board and code. An AQA textbook won&#8217;t prepare you properly for a Pearson Edexcel paper, because the topics, case studies and question styles are different.<\/p>\n<h3>Home schooling for GCSE Sociology and Psychology<\/h3>\n<p>Sociology and psychology are two of the easiest subjects to take as a home schooled student. They aren&#8217;t usually taught before Year 10, so nobody starts behind. They&#8217;re also assessed only by written exams, with no practicals or coursework for the centre to run.<\/p>\n<p>AQA lists no extra conditions for private candidates in either subject. You can read our full guides to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/sociology\/aqa-gcse-sociology\">AQA GCSE Sociology<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/psychology\/gcse-psychology-online\">studying GCSE Psychology online<\/a>, or start with our free lessons on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/content\/aqa\/gcse\/sociology\/1\/\">what sociology is<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/content\/aqa\/gcse\/psychology\/1\/\">how memory works<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;d rather go the IGCSE route, Cambridge offers both too. Try our first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/content\/cambridge\/igcse\/psychology\/1\/\">Cambridge IGCSE Psychology lesson on memory<\/a> for free.<\/p>\n<h2>A two-year plan for home schooled GCSEs<\/h2>\n<p>Most courses are built for two years of study, about the same as Years 10 and 11 in school. Here&#8217;s a plan you can adapt. If you&#8217;re sitting a subject early, squeeze it into one year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-table-wrap\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>When<\/th>\n<th>What to do<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Year 1, autumn<\/td>\n<td>Pick subjects and exam boards. Download each specification (the syllabus). Start the first topics. Contact exam centres to learn their fees and deadlines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Year 1, spring<\/td>\n<td>Keep working through the course, about a third of each subject by Easter. Test yourself at the end of every topic.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Year 1, summer<\/td>\n<td>Finish the first half of each course. Try a past paper section to see the question styles.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Year 2, autumn<\/td>\n<td>Book every exam entry and any access arrangements. Finish the course content by Christmas if you can.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Year 2, spring<\/td>\n<td>Revise weak topics. Do full past papers under timed conditions and mark them with the mark scheme.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Year 2, summer<\/td>\n<td>Final revision, then sit your exams in May and June. Results come out in August.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bl-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog-articles\/gcses-for-home-educated-students\/revision-cards.jpg\" alt=\"A home schooled student sorting handwritten GCSE revision cards into known and not yet known piles\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"670\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"bl-caption\">Sorting cards into &#8220;know it&#8221; and &#8220;not yet&#8221; piles shows you which topics need another go.<\/p>\n<p>A little every day works better than a big push once a week. Try one short lesson per subject, three or four days a week, then a quick quiz to check it stuck, and use the checklist below to keep track.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-tool bl-checklist\" data-id=\"gcses-for-home-educated-students\" data-title=\"Private candidate checklist\">\n<ul>\n<li>I know which exam board and code I&#8217;m sitting for every subject<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;ve found at least two exam centres that take private candidates<\/li>\n<li>I know each centre&#8217;s entry deadline and total fee<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;ve checked whether any subject needs practicals, speaking or fieldwork<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;ve asked about access arrangements if I need them<\/li>\n<li>I have a weekly study timetable that covers the whole specification<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;ve done at least two full past papers under timed conditions<\/li>\n<li>I know the date, time and place of each exam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Where online courses fit in<\/h2>\n<p>Home educated families mix and match. Some home schooling families use a tutor, some use textbooks and past papers, and many use an online course for some or all subjects. A good online GCSE course should follow one exam board&#8217;s specification exactly, break it into short lessons, test you as you go and show you what&#8217;s left to do.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever you choose, use the exam board&#8217;s own website for the specification, past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports. They&#8217;re free and they show exactly what gets marks.<\/p>\n<h3>Studying with Brainy Lemons<\/h3>\n<p>Brainy Lemons is an online GCSE and IGCSE course for students studying on their own, which makes it a good fit for home schooling. Every course follows one exam board&#8217;s specification, lesson by lesson, and works on a phone, tablet or laptop.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bl-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/igcse-biology\/shots\/lesson.jpg\" alt=\"An online lesson for home educated students taking GCSEs, with quiz, flash cards and games buttons\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1018\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"bl-caption\">Every lesson has a quiz, flash cards, a quiz show and a zombie defence game.<\/p>\n<p>Every lesson comes with a quiz, a TV-style quiz show called Lemonaire and a zombie defence game called Last Stand, all written from the lesson. There are flash cards to test key terms, a study timetable and progress tracking to keep you on course.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of our courses that suit private candidates well:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/igcse-biology\/\">Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Biology online course<\/a>, with a free first lesson on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/content\/pearson-edexcel\/igcse\/biology\/1\/\">the seven life processes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/aqa-gcse-sociology\/\">AQA GCSE Sociology online course<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/aqa-gcse-psychology\/\">AQA GCSE Psychology online course<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/cambridge-igcse-geography\/\">Cambridge IGCSE Geography online course<\/a>, starting with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/content\/cambridge\/igcse\/geography\/1\/\">the river journey from source to mouth<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/pearson-edexcel-igcse-business\/\">Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Business online course<\/a>, starting with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/content\/pearson-edexcel\/igcse\/business\/1\/\">business objectives<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/lp\/cambridge-igcse-marine-science\/\">Cambridge IGCSE Marine Science online course<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On our pricing page in October 2026, one course costs \u00a384, or \u00a310 a month for 12 months. The first three lessons of every course are free with no card needed, so you can check a course suits you before you pay. Read our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/guides\/business\/edexcel-igcse-business\">Edexcel IGCSE Business course guide<\/a> to see how one course is laid out.<\/p>\n<p>We don&#8217;t enter you for exams. You still book them yourself through an exam centre, as above.<\/p>\n<h2>GCSEs for home educated students: FAQs<\/h2>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>If you&#8217;re homeschooled, do you have to do GCSEs?<\/summary>\n<p>No. The law says children must get a suitable education, not that they must sit exams. Most home educated students still take at least English and maths, because colleges, apprenticeships and employers ask for them.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>How do you do GCSEs when you&#8217;re homeschooled?<\/summary>\n<p>You study the course at home, online or with a tutor, then register as a private candidate at an approved exam centre. The centre enters you with the exam board, and you sit the papers there with everyone else.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>How much does it cost to take GCSEs when homeschooled?<\/summary>\n<p>Each exam centre sets its own fee for each subject, and families pay it. The BBC reported in 2026 that private GCSEs can cost hundreds of pounds per exam. Ask your council about any local help.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>Can you take GCSEs at home?<\/summary>\n<p>You can study at home, but you can&#8217;t sit the exams there. Every GCSE and IGCSE paper is taken at an approved exam centre under exam conditions.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>Can home educated students take GCSE science?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes. For AQA GCSE sciences, the exam centre must let you carry out the required practicals, so ask about this first. Many families choose an IGCSE science instead, where practical skills are tested in written papers.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>When should I book my GCSE exams as a private candidate?<\/summary>\n<p>In the autumn before your summer exams. The JCQ deadline for June 2027 is 21 February 2027, but centres set earlier deadlines and charge late fees after them.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"bl-faq\">\n<summary>Can you do GCSE Sociology if you&#8217;re home schooled?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes. AQA GCSE Sociology is assessed only by two written papers, and AQA lists no extra conditions for private candidates. You could also sit Cambridge IGCSE Sociology.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<div class=\"bl-cta\"><span class=\"bl-cta-kicker\">Brainy Lemons<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Study your GCSEs at home with short lessons, quizzes and games<\/h3>\n<p>Online GCSE and IGCSE courses for home educated students, written from the exam board specification, lesson by lesson.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Short lessons written for one exam board and one specification<\/li>\n<li>A quiz, a quiz show and a zombie defence game on every lesson<\/li>\n<li>Study on any device: phone, tablet or laptop<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"bl-cta-btns\"><a class=\"bl-btn bl-btn-main\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/courses.php\">Find your course \u2192<\/a><a class=\"bl-btn bl-btn-ghost\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brainylemons.com\/free-resources\/\">Play the free games<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"bl-cta-note\">The first 3 lessons of every course are free. No card needed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How home educated students take GCSEs and IGCSEs as private candidates: finding an exam centre, fees, 2027 deadlines, choosing subjects and a two-year plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[29,28,30,23],"class_list":["post-85","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exam-tips","tag-gcse","tag-home-education","tag-igcse","tag-private-candidates","resize-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GCSEs for Home Educated Students: A 2027 Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"GCSEs for home educated students: how to sit exams as a private candidate, find an exam 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