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A Level Exam Dates: Summer Series, Entry Deadlines and Private Candidates

When A Level exams run, when entries close and what private candidates must do first. Summer 2027 provisional dates, 2026 deadlines and how to plan your exam entry.

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Updated 12 min read

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A Level exams in England take place in one main series each year, from early May to late June, and entries close months earlier, usually in the February before. The 2026 series ran from 7 May to 23 June, and the provisional 2027 timetables point to a start in the week of Monday 10 May 2027. If you are an adult studying independently, the date that matters most is not the exam itself but the day your exam centre stops taking entries.

This guide sets out the exam window, the way the national timetable is built, where to find the paper for your subject and board, and the deadlines that apply to private candidates. It also covers what happens if you miss a deadline and how to plan study time around the series.

TL;DR

  • A Level and GCSE exams are held in a single summer series. In 2026 it ran from 7 May to 23 June, with a contingency day on 24 June.
  • Provisional 2027 timetables start in the week of Monday 10 May 2027. Final timetables are published by each exam board, so confirm your own papers there.
  • Entry deadlines fall long before the exams. AQA’s deadline for the June 2026 series was 21 February 2026, and late entries cost more.
  • Private candidates enter through a centre, and each centre sets its own fees and internal deadlines. Not every centre accepts private entries, so contact centres early.
  • Lift College Online A Levels for adults start at £39.99 per month, with a 7-day free trial.

Table of Contents

When are A Level exams?

The summer series is the main sitting for A Levels. According to the government’s student guide to the 2026 exams, GCSE, AS and A Level exams were held between 7 May and 23 June 2026. The same guide states that the timetable includes a contingency day on 24 June 2026, and candidates must be available in case an exam has to be moved nationally because it cannot go ahead as planned.

A Level results for 2026 were published on Thursday 13 August, according to Tes reporting on the 2026 timetables. Results day normally falls in the middle of August, which matters if you are applying to university and need grades confirmed before clearing.

What the 2027 timetable looks like so far

Provisional dates for summer 2027 have been published by AQA and Edexcel. A summary of those provisional timetables gives a start in the week of Monday 10 May 2027, with most papers finishing on Friday 18 June and a contingency day on Wednesday 23 June. These dates were provisional when published, and the final timetables are confirmed by the boards later. Treat them as a planning guide, not as your personal timetable.

The pattern is stable from year to year: exams begin in the first or second week of May, run for about six weeks, and finish in the third or fourth week of June. If you are planning an exam year, aim to be ready to sit papers from early May, and keep the whole window to the end of June free in case a paper is moved.

Why dates match across exam boards

You do not need to worry that an AQA paper and an Edexcel paper in the same subject will clash in a way that affects you. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) is the body that brings the main awarding organisations together, and its members develop and agree common timetables for the GCSE November series and the GCSE and GCE June series so that exam dates align and clashes are reduced.

In practice, each subject has set sessions, morning or afternoon, and boards place papers in those slots. A candidate sitting two different subjects with two different boards is therefore unlikely to find both papers in the same session. If two of your papers do fall in the same session, your centre will arrange supervision between them.

Where to find your own A Level timetable

The national window tells you when exams happen. It does not tell you which day your Biology Paper 2 falls on. For that you need the timetable for your exam board and your specific specification.

  1. Identify your board and subject code. Your course materials and your centre entry confirmation show both. Different boards have different codes for what looks like the same subject.
  2. Open the board’s timetable. AQA publishes a May/June 2026 A Level timetable listing the dates and papers by subject. Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Eduqas publish their own equivalents. Use the latest edition for the year you are sitting.
  3. Wait for your centre’s individual timetable. The government guide says that your school or college gives you your individual exam timetable, and that you should check it carefully. Private candidates receive theirs from the centre where they are entered.
  4. Check times and rooms. Start times, arrival time, room and any access arrangements are confirmed by the centre, not by the board.

If you want a reminder system, a calendar tool can help. Once your centre confirms the paper dates, you can sync your exam schedule to Google Calendar so that each paper, and your revision blocks before it, appear on your phone. Always enter the dates from your centre’s confirmation, not from a general article.

Reading a timetable correctly

Most A Level subjects have two or three papers. Each paper is a separate sitting, so a single subject may appear on your timetable three times across several weeks. Check the following before you note a date:

  • the board and the specification code, since two boards may share a subject name
  • the paper number and the session, morning or afternoon
  • the duration, which determines when you can expect to leave
  • any practical or non-exam assessment arrangements that run separately from the written papers

Entry deadlines for A Levels and GCSEs

Exam entries are made months before the exams. The board sets a deadline for centres, and most centres set their own earlier deadline so they can process entries and collect fees.

AQA states in its entries guidance that the entry deadline for the June 2026 series was 21 February 2026, and that entries submitted after the deadline incur a late entry fee. The deadline for the next summer series follows the same pattern, normally around the end of February, and the board publishes the exact date in its entries guidance. Check that page for the current year and confirm the centre’s own date, which is earlier.

This answers a common search about GCSE entry deadlines too: the same exam series and the same February deadline pattern apply to GCSEs entered for the summer series. Different boards have different dates, so confirm your board.

What late entry costs

Missing the deadline is expensive. Pearson’s published key dates describe a staged system: it doubles the entry fee from the late fee date and trebles it from the high late fee date, and for June 2026 UK centres the high late fee date was 22 April 2026. Changes to subject or tier options after that point are typically charged at double an entry fee in addition to the original fee, according to the same Pearson 2025/26 guidance.

For a private candidate, the centre usually passes these charges on. Your centre may also add its own administration, invigilation and room fees. Lift College explains how those charges stack up in its guides to A Level resit fees and late entry and private GCSE exam fees.

The November and January options

The summer series is not the only chance for every qualification. The government’s 2026 student guide notes that a November GCSE series was available for English language and mathematics, restricted to students aged 16 or above on 31 August 2026. These sittings are mainly used by people who need a grade 4 and missed it. A Levels are generally sat in the summer series, so plan around May and June.

Private candidates: the dates that matter

A private candidate is someone who takes an exam without being enrolled at the school or college where they sit it. Adults who study online or at home are almost always in this group. The exam boards do not take entries from individuals directly. You must go through a centre.

The JCQ states that private candidates are responsible for making their exam entries through a centre, and that each centre sets its own entry fees, internal deadlines and processes. That has three practical consequences.

1. Find a centre before you need one

The government guide advises private candidates to register as soon as possible with a school, college or other exam centre, and warns that not all centres accept private entries. JCQ provides an online centre finder to help identify schools and colleges that may accept entries, but it cautions that the list does not guarantee availability. The final decision on an entry rests with each centre, based on its capacity, resources and the assessment requirements of the qualification, according to jcq.org.uk.

Because places can fill, start contacting centres in the autumn before your summer exams. Lift College’s guides on finding A Level private exam centres through JCQ and on why GCSE private candidates lose places by waiting walk through the search and what to ask.

2. Ask about coursework and practicals

Some subjects include non-exam assessment or a practical endorsement, for example in the sciences. JCQ says private candidates must check with the centre whether it will accept and submit coursework or non-exam assessment on their behalf. A centre that is happy to host your written papers may not support the practical element, so ask this at the first call, before you commit to a subject or board.

If you intend to study independently without a teacher, the guide to self-study A Levels in the UK explains what centres typically look for.

3. Raise access arrangements early

If you need extra time, a reader, a separate room or another adjustment, the government guide says to discuss this with your chosen centre as early as possible. Centres need time to gather evidence and apply to the board, so this is not a conversation to leave to the spring.

A simple private candidate calendar

The dates below are a typical annual pattern, not fixed days. Confirm each against your board and your centre.

How to plan your study around the exam series

Working backwards from the exam window makes the choice of start date simple. A full A Level is normally taught over two years in school, but adults often compress or extend it depending on prior knowledge and available hours.

  • Start at least nine to twelve months before May if you are new to the subject and working part time. That leaves time to finish content, practise past papers and sit any practical sessions.
  • Finish new content by March so that April and early May are for timed practice.
  • Sit exams in the order the timetable sets, not the order you studied. Build revision blocks around your first paper, not your last.
  • Keep the June contingency day free, because a nationally rescheduled paper can land there.

If you are choosing between a one-year plan and a two-year plan, a flexible subscription lets you adjust the pace. Lift College courses can be paused or cancelled at any time, with no contracts or credit checks, which suits adults whose work hours change.

Resits and the exam series

If you are resitting, the same deadlines apply, and a centre may want proof of previous results. A Level resits generally happen in the summer series too, so the costs and late fee stages above apply. Lift College’s exam boards and grades guide explains how boards and grading differ, which helps if you are changing board for a resit.

Study A Levels online with Lift College

Lift College offers online A Levels for adults, with a named UK tutor, flexible study and a monthly subscription model. Published prices include A Level Biology and A Level Mathematics from £39.99 per month, and GCSE Mathematics and GCSE English Language from £29.99 per month. Tuition, tutor support and awarding-body certification fees are included in the subscription, and a 7-day free trial is available.

You can see every plan on the Lift College pricing page and browse the full qualifications list. Our subscription covers course tuition and tutor support. Exam centre fees for sitting papers as a private candidate are set by the centre you choose, so ask the centre for its fee list when you enquire. For adults who want a route into university without A Levels, the Access to HE Diploma is an alternative pathway. Start your 7-day free trial to see how the course fits around your working week.

Checklist before the exam window

  • Confirm your exam board, specification code and every paper date.
  • Confirm your centre in writing, with its fee schedule and internal deadline.
  • Ask whether the centre will handle coursework or practical assessment.
  • Raise any access arrangements now, not in the spring.
  • Keep the whole window, including the contingency day, free of commitments.
  • Check the board’s website for the current year’s final timetable and entry deadline.

FAQ

What day do A Level exams start?

In 2026 the combined GCSE, AS and A Level window began on 7 May, according to the government’s student guide. Provisional 2027 timetables place the start of A Level exams in the week of Monday 10 May 2027. The first paper in your subject depends on your board, so check its timetable.

When is the deadline to enter A Levels as a private candidate?

The board’s deadline for the summer series is normally around the end of February, and AQA’s was 21 February for June 2026. Your centre will set an earlier internal deadline, so contact centres in the autumn. Late entries incur higher fees.

Do all A Level exam boards use the same dates?

The JCQ members agree common timetables for the June series, so papers are placed in shared sessions. The individual papers and days still differ by board and subject. Use your own board’s timetable and your centre’s confirmation.

Can I take A Levels in November or January?

The main sitting for A Levels is the summer series. The November series is for GCSE English language and mathematics, for candidates aged 16 or over on 31 August of that year. Check your board for any other sittings.

Is there a spare day if an exam is cancelled?

Yes. The 2026 timetable included a contingency day on 24 June, and provisional 2027 timetables show one on 23 June. Candidates must be available on that day in case a paper has to be moved nationally.

Sources

This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by the Lift College team. It is provided for general information and does not replace personalised advice. For guidance on your specific situation, contact our learner support team on info@liftcollege.co.uk.

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