Online A Levels: Can You Sit A Level Exams From Home?

If you have been searching for online A Levels, here is the short answer: yes, you can sit a Pearson Edexcel International A Level online from home, with a live Pearson invigilator. You get a properly invigilated exam without travelling to an exam centre. UK A Levels and Cambridge International A Levels can be studied online but are always sat at a centre.

This guide breaks the journey into simple stages, from booking to certificate. For the full picture, Pass Learn explains how you can sit A Level exams from home.

Why Adults Are Choosing This Route

At Functional Skills Level 2, we know that finishing a Level 2 qualification often gets people thinking about what comes next. We recommend choosing a provider that explains every stage clearly before you pay.

Pass Learn is one of the only providers in the world offering this service. It is open to anyone, so you do not need evidence or a reason to sit at home. It suits adults, home-educated learners, resitters, anxious test-takers and anyone without a centre nearby, with no travel or time off work for each paper.

Your Timeline at a Glance

Here are the six stages you will move through:

• Choose your subjects and the exam series that suits you
• Book your exam and send a photo of your ID
• Set up your room, devices and responsible adult
• Complete Pearson’s familiarisation session
• Sit your exams on the day
• Receive your results and Pearson certificate

Stage One: Pick Your Subjects and Series

Through Pass Learn, 12 Pearson Edexcel International A Levels can be sat online: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Economics, English Language, English Literature, Geography, History, Law, Maths, Physics and Psychology. If you want to compare options, Pearson publishes the International A Level subject list on its own website.

Six subjects have their own exam booking pages. Each booking covers the whole subject, including entry to every paper, familiarisation, results and a Pearson certificate:

• Psychology: the online A Level Psychology exam has four paper-based units and is sat in the Summer series.
• History: the online A Level History exam is four typed, onscreen papers of two hours each, in the Summer series.
• Law: the online A Level Law exam has two three-hour paper-based papers and is Summer only.
• Geography: the online A Level Geography exam covers four paper-based units, including Contested Planet, in the Summer series.
• Economics: the online A Level Economics exam mixes multiple-choice, data response and essays, with Summer and October series.
• Business: the online A Level Business exam is four two-hour paper-based papers, also in Summer and October.

Online Pearson Edexcel International A Level exams run in the January, Summer (May/June) and October series, depending on the subject, not at any time of year. A course is optional, but if you would like structured lessons first, adult A Level courses let you study around work and family at your own pace.

Stage Two: Book and Send Your ID

You book through Pass Learn’s online checkout, and the exams team contacts you within one working day. Booking deadlines depend on the series. Pass Learn then enters you with Pearson as a remote invigilation candidate.

Next, the exams team asks for a photo of your ID with the details Pearson needs and sends them with your entry. Pearson will not give access without proof of ID, so it must be valid and in date. Accepted types are:

• A passport
• A national identity card
• A driving licence
• A UK citizenship card

If you are still deciding where to sit your A Level exams, Pass Learn’s exams page explains both the home route and the exam centre route for UK A Levels.

Stage Three: Get Your Home Ready

Before your familiarisation session, gather everything on this checklist:

• A laptop with a webcam, kept on mains power
• A phone with Pearson’s app installed
• A backup recorder, charged and with enough storage
• A printer and scanner with plenty of ink and paper, for paper-based subjects
• A quiet, private room rather than a shared space
• A responsible adult, such as a parent, guardian or other adult (not your tutor or teacher)

Your responsible adult needs to be there when you log in, then stay available outside the room for the whole exam. They supervise any toilet break, while the exam clock keeps running, and they call Pearson’s helpline if your connection drops.

Stage Four: Complete Familiarisation

Pearson’s familiarisation session is compulsory and includes a tech check. If you skip it, Pearson removes your entry, with no refund. It is not a mock exam, and your answers are not marked, so treat it as a rehearsal.

Pass Learn guides you through the ID check and familiarisation, while Pearson runs the session itself. At the start of each familiarisation session, and again at the start of each exam, you hold your ID up to the camera for Pearson’s invigilator.

Stage Five: Sit Your Exams

International A Level exams start at 07:00 or 10:00 UK time, so check your time zone if you live abroad. The live invigilator can see and hear you during set-up, the exam and submission, but you cannot see or hear them. They talk to you only through a chat box, and sessions are recorded.

What you do during the paper depends on the subject:

• Onscreen subjects (English Language, English Literature and History): you type your answers in Pearson’s assessment player.
• Paper-based subjects: you download a PDF answer booklet, print it, handwrite your answers, then scan and upload every page.

Only written papers are sat online, which means no coursework, practicals or speaking tests. For the finer details, the remote invigilation guidance from Pearson explains how it all works.

Stage Six: Results and Your Certificate

Pearson releases your results on the results day for your series, and you receive a Pearson certificate. Candidates aged 16 or over get digital certificates.

These are internationally recognised qualifications, and UK universities accept International A Levels grade for grade. The specification is different from a UK A Level, so always check the entry requirements for your chosen course. Pass A Level also points out that universities accept A Levels gained through online, distance or private study. Your certificate does not mention private candidate status.

Conclusion

Sitting a Pearson Edexcel International A Level at home is a clear process: choose, book, send your ID, set up, complete familiarisation, sit your papers and collect your results. None of it needs an exam hall. When you are ready to plan your series, Pass Learn’s page on how to sit A Level exams from home is a good place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a reason to sit my exam at home?

No. Remote invigilation through Pass Learn is open to anyone, and you do not need to give evidence or a reason for choosing to sit at home.

Can I take my exam from outside the UK?

Yes, where Pearson offers remote invigilation in your country, as the service is not available everywhere. Exam times are in UK time, and the same ID rules apply.

What happens if my internet connection drops?

Your responsible adult calls Pearson’s helpline. This is one reason they need to stay available outside the room for the whole exam.

Can I resit only some units of a subject?

Bookings cover the whole subject, including every paper. If you only want to resit some units, speak to an adviser about your options.

Written by

PassFunctionalSkills Team

We help thousands of students get their Functional Skills Qualifications.