Exams Centre

Book an exam

Where space permits, we are pleased to be able to accept private candidates for a number of GCSEs, A levels and Pearson iGCSEs each exam season. Early application is always advised as places fill quickly.

Before you apply, please ensure you have already downloaded the specification(s) for your qualification(s) from the awarding body websites and checked the exam entry codes.

If you have previously taken exams in the UK you will also need your ULN and UCI numbers. Please note that for re-sits for A level Sciences and GCSE English Language we require you to upload evidence of a certificated practical or spoken endorsement to the application form. This may be in the form of a photo or screenshot of your previous certificate or results slip.

Applications for Summer 2025: A Level, GCSE, Pearson iGCSE. Please contact us now to express your interest in receiving the application form and for details. Applications are scheduled to open during the week beginning 04 November 2024. If you have already emailed please do not continue to contact us, we will get back to you as soon as applications open. Each subject will close once at capacity (or at the end of January at the latest).

Applications for November 2024 exams are closed.

Applications for November 2025 exams (GCSE Maths and English Language with AQA, Pearson, OCR and Eduqas plus Pearson iGCSEs) will open in August and close mid-September. Please contact us then for the application form.

Request the application form

Information for Private Candidates

Hills Road Sixth Form College has a national reputation for excellence and we welcome private examination candidates to take your exams alongside our own full-time students. We are one of the busiest exam centres in the area, so places do fill quickly. If you are interested in applying to sit public examinations here, please read on to find out more and contact us by email with further questions.

The College is situated about 2km from the historic centre of Cambridge and is close to the main railway station.

In addition to taking direct applications, the college acts as an exam centre for the National Extension College (NEC). If you are an NEC student please direct your exam enquiries to the NEC who will facilitate your entry to sit your exams at the College.

Access arrangements

Access Arrangements are arrangements approved by the exam boards usually some months before the examinations take place to enable candidates with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injury/illness to access an assessment. The Equality Act 2010 requires exam boards to make reasonable adjustments where a candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to someone who is not disabled. According to the Equality Act 2010 a disability is a “physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on someone’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”. The impairment must have lasted, or be likely to last, for 12 months or more.

The reasonable adjustments for a candidate may include extra time, rest breaks and use of a word processor or other assistive technology. This must be the candidate’s normal way of working and evidence of need must be supplied on application. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) is responsible for setting and monitoring the regulations on behalf of the exam boards. Hills Road, as an exam centre is inspected annually by JCQ to check that we are following the regulations correctly. Inspectors can ask to see evidence to support any decision that has been made regarding an individual’s exam arrangements. Exam centre files are regularly inspected to ensure that unfair advantages are not being given to candidates.

Common types of reasonable adjustments include:

Supervised breaks, during which the minutes taken are recorded and added to the exam finish time so no working time is lost. Rest breaks require supporting evidence in the form of a GP/hospital/therapist letter outlining the need for breaks.