Pearson Edexcel tutors, unit by unit.

Apex tutors the whole Pearson Edexcel international pathway online: iPrimary and iLowerSecondary (Years 1–9), the International GCSE (ages 14–16, graded 9–1) and the International AS and A Level, the IAL (ages 16–19). Lessons are one-to-one, matched to your child’s exact specification and school, and delivered live in your timezone.

They are separate qualifications. The UK GCSE is regulated by Ofqual; the International GCSE is regulated by Pearson itself, which states that UK NARIC (now UK ENIC) confirmed it meets the UK GCSE standard in 2019. Both use the 9–1 scale, and UK universities that publish a position — Manchester, for example — accept International GCSEs from Pearson Edexcel alongside GCSEs.

On the 9–1 scale, in every subject: Pearson states that “All subjects awarded under the new 9–1 grading scale from August 2019”, aligned to the reformed GCSEs in England. Pearson Edexcel does not offer an A*–G International GCSE — that scale belongs to other boards, such as Cambridge’s IGCSE.

Three things matter to a parent. Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs are graded 9–1 only, where Cambridge IGCSE is A*–G (9–1 optional). Pearson’s International A Level is modular — units sat across January, June and October and banked — where Cambridge A Level is examined in June and November. And most Pearson International GCSE subjects are untiered, while many Cambridge subjects are Core or Extended.

The International GCSE is offered in May–June and November each year; the January series ended in January 2023. The International A Level runs three series — January, May–June and October — though not every unit is available in every series. Entries are made by the school or exam centre against Pearson’s published deadlines.

Yes. An International GCSE is linear, so a retake means sitting all the written papers again in a later series; coursework results can be carried forward. IAL units can each be resat, and Pearson counts the better of the two most recent attempts — in IAL Mathematics, the best result ever achieved counts.

In the UK, the International GCSE and IAL are not Ofqual-regulated, but Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester state they accept Pearson Edexcel IALs grade-for-grade with A Levels, and UCAS says most admissions teams use the two interchangeably. In the UAE, they follow the same Ministry of Education Grade-12 equivalency route as Cambridge and the IB.