How home educators access exams

Home educators, at the time of writing this, are not required to follow the national curriculum, have any set hours of education or sit any national examinations.

There is a debate in the literature about the value and importance (or lack thereof) of standardised exams and assessments. Some argue that our education system is increasingly influenced by the labour market and an "audit" culture. Therefore, the assessments and exams may not reflect an actual child's academic ability.

The importance (or lack thereof) of exams and qualifications is also of interest within the home education community. Due to various home education approaches, educational philosophies, and individual learning needs, exams are not always an option for home educators. This article does not debate whether home educates should or should not take exams; instead, it discusses how home educates access exams and the consequences of this process.

Approaches and methods of home education vary immensely, from unschooling to semi-structured learning to "schooling" from home. One of the benefits of home education is that children can work at their own pace, follow their own interests, and learning can be adapted to suitable needs and abilities. This means that some children find passions and do not necessarily stick to a subject aimed at a particular age. Children can excel at a subject beyond the recommended or targeted age.

Also, because of the flexibility in choosing subjects, children can choose subjects that may not be available in certain schools. Home educators can take exams at any age as independent candidates. Therefore, finishing GCSE History syllable by the age of 14 is not unheard of. Once they have found their passion, they do not need to wait to be 16 to take an exam.

Taking an exam in a subject takes much preparation beyond choosing the subject.

Choosing the examining board

England has four main examining boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. Each examining board decide on the syllabus content and exam questions. There are various reasons for deciding which exam board to go for. One examining board may focus on particular topics of interest or have exam questions that best suit the child. On a practical level, not all exam centers provide all examining boards.

Choosing the exam centre

Some areas have no exam centers, and other areas have multiple. Home educators have to consider where locally they can sit the subject of the exam and then find out which exam boards they provide. Sometimes home educators must compromise on the exam board or distance to the exam center.

Costs

All independent candidates have to pay to sit exams. The exam boards control the exam fees, and additional fees apply for the exam Centre and any additional needs for the child. The extra fees are at the exam Centre’s discretion. For example, if a child needs a scriber, an exam Centre can charge extra. No regulator oversees these fees. Costs could mount up to £300 per subject if not more.

On top of the exam costs, home educators sometimes have to include accommodation costs. If an exam Centre is far away, and an exam starts at 9 am, it may be impossible to guarantee to get there on time. In order to avoid the risk and stress associated with this, an overnight stay may be necessary. Moreover, a subject may have two to four papers on different days spread out over the exam season. If a young person is taking exams in multiple subjects, an overnight stay is needed multiple times for multiple subjects at multiple locations.

Course Preparation

Each home educator prepares for exams differently, as each learner learns differently. A child may choose a topic in a subject planned typically towards the end of the teaching semester in school. However, a home educator can choose to begin wherever in the syllabus and spend as much time needed on a particular topic. It is very common for young people to start preparing for exams at the age of 12 and take exams at that age or soon afterwards. Due to the flexibility home educators benefit from, they prefer to stagger exams over a few years instead of taking all exams at once, around 16 like they would be in school. This allows them to have less stress during the exam season and enjoy a balanced life between home education activities and studying.

The factors above highlight that accessing exams is not always easy and parents and their children have a lot to consider. The financial burden on parents means that some children, even if they want, may be unable to gain qualifications. The fact that exam centers can put any price tag on an exam amplifies this inequality.

A recent study looked at all these elements and argued that many of these children are home-educated because they were disadvantaged in the schooling system. Some home educators' difficulty in gaining qualifications may put young people at a further disadvantage. Although parents opted out of the mainstream system, it remains debatable if they opted out of their children's right to obtain a qualification that our society currently relies on.

Our education act gives every child a right to an efficient education which in the mainstream system includes a qualification. In order to have a fair education system, including home education, it needs to be considered whether young home-educated people have a right to gain qualifications without the hurdles mentioned above.