Archive Website of the UK government

Why coursework matters

Many of the subjects you’ll study in Years 10 to 13 are assessed on a mixture of coursework and exams. The coursework element of a subject can make up a significant proportion of your final mark - for some subjects, coursework counts for more than half of the total.

Coursework can be a useful way of showing what you can do, where an exam wouldn’t be appropriate (for example, a music presentation or a science experiment).

Coursework can also allow you to:

• study a subject in more depth
• take more responsibility for what you study
• have more control over the pace at which you study

Coursework assignments can be set over several days or weeks, so there’s also less chance of your grade being affected by an ‘off day’.

What to expect

The coursework you’re given can take various forms. It could include:

• projects and fieldwork
• written work or extended essays
• artwork
• experiments and investigations
• performances or oral work

Coursework is assessed internally by your teachers or tutors, and may be set at any time during your course. You may do some of your coursework outside school hours, and some at school under the supervision of your teachers.

GCSEs

For GCSEs, the mix of exams and coursework varies from subject to subject. Some, like art and design, have more coursework and fewer exams.

• GCSEs

AS and A levels

AS and A levels are normally made up of about 70 per cent exams and around 30 per cent coursework. As with GCSEs, though, this varies from subject to subject.

• AS and A levels

Other qualifications

You may also have to do coursework if you take vocational qualifications, or the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

The amount of coursework will also depend on which awarding body (exam board) offers the qualification.

• Qualifications explained

Changes to GCSE coursework

A review by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) (now the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency) proposed a number of changes to coursework for GCSEs.

Coursework has been scrapped for GCSE maths courses starting from September 2007.

The QCA review also proposed changing the coursework element of other GCSE subjects - follow the link below for details.

• More about the changes to GCSEs Opens new window

Top tips for doing coursework

For some ‘dos and don’ts’ about completing coursework, see ‘Coursework: top tips for success’.

• Coursework: top tips for success

Need help and advice on coursework?

If you’re getting stuck with coursework, often the best thing to do is speak to your teachers.

You can also find lots of help online. The BBC’s Bitesize and Schools websites are full of tips and good ideas for coursework, homework and revision.

• BBC: Bitesize Opens new window

• BBC: Schools Opens new window

Useful contacts

• Choices at 14-19 contacts

• Education and learning contacts