1 · Find an exam centre
As a home educator your child sits GCSEs and IGCSEs as a private candidate at a registered centre. Start here — book early, seats fill up.
Official centre-finder & guidance
Each exam board lists centres that accept private candidates. Search "private candidates" on each board's site, then contact centres near you about seats, fees and whether they host science practicals.
Ask each centre:
- Which boards do you offer? (must match the spec your child studied)
- Do you host the required science practicals for IGCSE?
- Can you arrange access arrangements (extra time, quiet room)?
- What is the fee per subject, and the booking deadline?
2 · Deadline radar
Miss a deadline and you wait a whole year. These are the ones that matter — always confirm exact dates with your chosen centre.
- Summer exam entries — most centres close entries around late February for that summer's exams.
- Science practical days — IGCSE sciences need a practical session; book weeks ahead as seats are limited.
- Access arrangements — extra time and similar need evidence submitted early (your SEND report helps here).
Tip: put these in your calendar the moment you pick a centre, and set a reminder for both parents. Late entries usually cost a lot more.
3 · Mock exam mode
Sit it like the real thing — timed, no hints — then turn every dropped mark into revision.
4 · Certificates & records vault
Everything a sixth form, college or employer will ask for — kept in one place.
📜 Keep the evidence together
Save certificates, award your own achievement certificates, and build a portfolio of work as you go — ready for applications or a local-authority enquiry.
Certificates
My Portfolio
Progress Dashboard
PawSteps helps you organise and prepare — official entries, fees and results are always handled by your registered exam centre and the exam boards above.