Editing Private candidate

A '''private candidate''', also known as an '''external candidate''', in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[Test (assessment)|examination]] system is a person who enters an examination but is not enrolled as a [[student]] at the centre ([[school]] or [[college]]) where he or she sits the exam. They may have trained themselves for the exam, been taught privately, or studied at an institution which is not a registered examination centre. Centres are not compelled to accept private candidates, and many do not.

The main [[England|English]] [[examination board]]s - [[Assessment and Qualifications Alliance|AQA]], [[Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations|OCR]], and [[Edexcel]] - all accept private candidates. [[Cambridge Assessment International Education|CAIE]] also accepts private candidates. AQA does not allow private candidates to sit their examinations outside the UK.

The [[Wales|Welsh]] examination board [[WJEC (exam board)|WJEC]] allows private candidates. The [[Northern Ireland|Northern Irish]] [[Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment|CCEA]] uses the term '''"external candidate"''' to refer to people in the same situation.

==See also==
*[[Education in England]]
*[[Education in Wales]]
*[[Education in Northern Ireland]]

==External links==
*[https://www.aqa.org.uk/student-and-parent-support/private-candidates Private candidates - AQA]
*[https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-for-you/students/private-candidates.html Private candidates - Edexcel]
*[https://www.ocr.org.uk/students/private-candidates/ Private candidates - OCR]
*[https://www.eduqas.co.uk/home/student-support/private-candidates/ Private candidates - Eduqas]
*[https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/exam-administration/private-candidates/ Private candidates - CAIE]

[[Category:School examinations]]