GCSEEnglish LanguageAQARevision Notes2026 Exams2026 Exam ChangesSummary of 2026 Exam Changes

Summary of 2026 Exam Changes (AQA GCSE English Language): Revision Note

Exam code: 8700

Deb Orrock

Written by: Deb Orrock

Reviewed by: Nick Redgrove

Updated on

AQA have announced some small but important changes to their GCSE English Language exams from 2026 onwards. These changes apply to students sitting their exams the summer of 2026 and beyond.

Why have AQA made these changes?

AQA have made these changes to improve the clarity of the exam questions and the mark schemes. They have not changed the overall structure of the papers: there are still the same number of marks and the same assessment objectives allocated to each question. Except for Paper 1 Question 1, there is no change to how students are expected to answer the questions. The updates to the mark schemes are designed to help teachers and examiners better understand what earns marks in each question.

When will the changes take place?

May/June 2026

November 2026

2027 onwards

First GCSE English Language examination papers featuring the changes

The November series will also feature the updates

All exam series featuring the updates

Further information

To see what these changes look like, please go to:

We have updated all of our AQA GCSE English Language revision notes to reflect these changes and will continue to make further amendments to our other English Language resources.

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    Author
    Reviewer
    Deb Orrock

    Author: Deb Orrock

    Expertise: English Content Creator

    Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She most recently managed a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.

    Nick Redgrove

    Reviewer: Nick Redgrove

    Expertise: English Content Creator

    Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.