What AQA company does

AQA (legal entity AQA Education, company number 03644723) is the largest general qualifications awarding organisation in England, operating as an independent non-profit education charity from its registered headquarters on Devas Street, Manchester. The organisation sets and marks GCSEs, AS and A-levels taken by over 1 million students annually, with 92% of UK schools using AQA qualifications and more than half of all GCSE and A-level papers in the UK set by AQA. Its core operational technology centres on the Centre Services platform, used by registered exam centres to manage entries, materials, marks, special considerations and results; the Exampro past-paper question bank; Testbase for Key Stage 1–3 differentiated assessments; the QLAPD question-level performance analytics product; and Stride Maths, a diagnostic tool for identifying maths learning gaps. The firm also operates Project Q for project qualifications, All About Maths for teaching resources, and Data Insights for performance visualisation.

AQA's business model is primarily transactional: schools and colleges pay entry fees per student for each GCSE, AS and A-level exam, with elevated fees for late and very-late entries and unit-priced charges (e.g., £48.75 per learner) for certificate amendments. As a charity, surplus is reinvested into research, qualification development and community initiatives, including a £250,000 Purpose-Driven Partnerships Fund. The go-to-market is sales-led and community-led simultaneously: schools register as exam centres and access services through Centre Services (self-serve/PLG), AQA account managers support large centres, and a community of 40,000+ teachers, examiners and academics shapes the qualification development pipeline. International reach is delivered through the OxfordAQA joint partnership with Oxford University Press, which distributes AQA-designed qualifications to international schools globally.

Strategically, AQA is broadening beyond general qualifications through acquisitions: Training Qualifications UK (December 2022, £3.5m of awarding functions), GradeMaker (April 2023, specialist assessment technology) and Realise Training Group (October 2025, serving 18,000+ vocational learners). New regulated products in the pipeline include the AS/A-level Business specification (first teaching September 2026), updated GCSE MFL specifications for summer 2026, and new V Levels and Level 2 certificates to be awarded from September 2027. Headcount sits in the 1,001–5,000 range, supporting a multi-vertical education assessment platform built on Ofqual-regulated credentials, a 120-year brand, a court-enshrined protection regime against paper leaks (High Court injunction renewed 30 April 2026) and an integrated digital assessment stack.

Name

AQA company

Legal name

AQA Education

Website

https://aqa.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

AQA is the UK's largest general qualifications exam board, setting and marking GCSEs, AS and A-levels taken by more than 1 million students annually across 92% of UK schools. A non-profit charity since 1900, it also delivers vocational qualifications, digital assessment tools, and international programmes via the OxfordAQA partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education Qualifications

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Certification & Exam Prep eLearning Modules (EDAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Academic qualifications
• Exam board services
• GCSE assessments
• Vocational qualifications
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exam Entry Fees: Schools and colleges pay entry fees for each student entered for GCSE, AS, and A-level exams. Fees vary by qualification and entry timing (standard, late, very late).
2. Qualification Services: As a not-for-profit education charity, AQA reinvests all income into charitable activities and cutting-edge assessment research

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

AQA designs, sets, marks and awards GCSE, AS and A-level academic qualifications for UK secondary schools, sixth forms and colleges, supported by entry fee-based exam administration through its Centre Services platform. It also provides vocational qualifications (via Realise Training Group and TQUK), Entry Level Certificates, Project Qualifications, Unit Award Scheme, and Applied Generals, alongside international qualifications offered through the OxfordAQA partnership with Oxford University Press. The portfolio is completed by standalone digital teacher and analytics tools (Exampro, Testbase, Stride Maths, Project Q, All About Maths, Data Insights, QLAPD), policy consulting via AlphaPlus, and teacher professional development courses.

Product overview

AQA provides a comprehensive suite of general and vocational qualifications including GCSEs, AS and A-levels, alongside supplementary digital tools and services. The product portfolio includes teacher resource platforms (All About Maths), diagnostic and assessment tools (Stride Maths, Exampro, Testbase), analytics products (Data Insights, QLAPD), project management tools (Project Q), and policy consulting services (AlphaPlus). The company also operates international qualifications through OxfordAQA and is expanding into vocational education through recent acquisitions including Realise Training Group, Training Qualifications UK (TQUK), and GradeMaker. Professional development and training services support teachers implementing AQA qualifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OxfordAQA: Partnership with Oxford University Press offering qualifications specifically designed for international schools
• Exampro
• Testbase
• AlphaPlus
• Project Q
• All About Maths
• Stride Maths
• Data Insights
• AQA Global Assessment Services

Products and services

• GCSE Qualifications General Certificate of Secondary Education qualifications for UK students typically aged 14-16, offered across more than 30 subjects including Mathematics, English, Science, Languages, Humanities and Arts. Used by UK secondary schools and trusted by employers and universities for progression.
• AS and A-level Qualifications Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level qualifications for UK students typically aged 16-18 across academic subjects, providing progression pathways to higher education. Subjects include Biology, Business, Chemistry, Geography, History, Physics, Psychology, Sociology and more.
• Applied Generals Vocational and applied qualifications for post-16 students that provide alternatives to traditional A-levels with a focus on practical application of knowledge.
• Vocational Qualifications Vocational qualifications including new V Levels and Level 2 certificates awarding from September 2027, supplementing existing vocational offerings via the Training Qualifications UK and Realise Training Group acquisitions.
• Entry Level Certificates Entry-level qualifications for students working below GCSE standard, providing recognised certification of achievement.
• Project Qualifications Project-based qualifications such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) for post-16 students, demonstrating research and project management skills for university applications.
• Unit Award Scheme Flexible unit-based certification scheme for recognising student achievement in discrete learning units, used primarily in alternative provision and SEND contexts.
• AQA Certificate Mathematics Standalone AQA-branded Mathematics certificate qualification for students seeking an alternative to GCSE Mathematics.
• Centre Services Self-serve online platform for UK exam centres to manage exam entries, submit NEA marks and grades, request access arrangements and special considerations, download question papers and stationery, and access results and certificates.
• Exampro Online assessment builder providing thousands of searchable past paper questions, mark schemes and examiner reports keyed by keyword, topic, tier and assessment objective, used by teachers to create custom assessments for revision, homework and topic tests.
• Testbase Platform for creating differentiated Key Stage 1-3 tests and revision materials to support primary and lower secondary assessment.
• Stride Maths Diagnostic testing platform that uses targeted tests to identify and address individual maths learning gaps and build student confidence.
• Project Q Centralised management platform for Project qualifications such as the EPQ, giving teachers visibility across all learner projects in one location.
• All About Maths Free teaching resource platform providing hundreds of resources to help teachers plan and teach AQA mathematics qualifications.
• Data Insights Performance data visualisation and analytics tool that enables exploration of student performance data in clear, visual and accessible formats.
• QLAPD (Question Level Analysis and Performance Data) Collection of exam performance data from every question across all series since 2017, allowing teachers to analyse question difficulty and student performance by grade for Higher GCSE, Foundation GCSE, Level 2 Further Maths, Level 3 Mathematical Studies and A-level Maths.
• AlphaPlus Education and skills policy consulting service that translates government and sector policy into practical implementation support for educational institutions.
• OxfordAQA International Qualifications International qualifications brand operated in partnership with Oxford University Press, providing AQA-style qualifications specifically designed for international schools.
• Professional Development Training Paid teacher training and CPD services delivered online, face-to-face and in-school, covering exam preparation, subject updates and the Inside Assessment programme.
• Realise Training Group Vocational Training Vocational and technical education training for young people and adults delivered through the wholly-owned Realise Training Group subsidiary, supporting over 18,000 learners annually across UK regions.
• AQA Global Assessment Services Worldwide assessment solutions offered internationally from the UK's leading exam board, covering digital assessment design, delivery and security for domestic and international clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million+ students assessed annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Realise Training GroupcoreOthers · 28 October 2025AQA acquired Realise Training Group to expand into vocational and technical education. The acquisition supports growth in skills training for young people and adults, benefiting over 18,000 learners annually.
• GradeMakercoreOthers · 4 April 2023AQA acquired GradeMaker, a specialist assessment technology company, to expand its digital assessment capabilities. The acquisition enables AQA to improve assessment service quality, security, and efficiency.
• Training Qualifications UK (TQUK)coreOthers · 14 December 2022AQA acquired Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) as part of expansion into the vocational qualifications market. The deal transferred TQUK's awarding and assessment functions, worth £3.5 million in 2021/22, to AQA.
• Oxford University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxfordAQA partnership provides AQA qualifications specifically designed for international schools. Oxford University Press brings global distribution and brand recognition to deliver AQA qualifications to international markets.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Pearson VUE: Pearson VUE operates the largest global network of computerized testing centres, comparable to AQA's Centre Services platform in delivering secure assessment administration at scale across many certification programmes.
• College Board: College Board operates the SAT, AP, and PSAT standardized assessment programs in the US, comparable to AQA in mission and scale (national standardized assessment for college readiness) but operating under a different geographic and curriculum context.
• ACT, Inc. ACT Inc. administers the ACT college readiness assessment in the US and increasingly international markets, representing a comparable large-scale standardized assessment body with analogous scale and curriculum-anchored positioning.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): ETS administers high-stakes standardized tests including TOEFL, GRE, and Praxis with global reach, sharing AQA's mission of large-scale assessment delivery and certification but in different subject domains.

Direct peers

• OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations): OCR is another major UK awarding organization directly competing with AQA for GCSE and A-level entries, and is operated by Cambridge Assessment, sharing overlapping subject coverage and regulatory standing with Ofqual.
• Pearson (Edexcel): Pearson's Edexcel division is AQA's largest direct competitor in UK GCSE and A-level awarding, offering overlapping academic and vocational (BTEC) qualifications with broader international scale and digital distribution.
• Cambridge Assessment International Education: Cambridge International delivers academic qualifications (IGCSE, A-level equivalent) to schools worldwide, directly competing with AQA's OxfordAQA international offering in the international schools market.
• International Baccalaureate (IB): The IB offers internationally recognized pre-university qualifications (MYP, Diploma) competing with A-level pathways in international and progressive schools globally, often positioned as an alternative to A-levels.
• WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) / Eduqas: WJEC / Eduqas awards GCSEs, AS and A-levels alongside AQA in Wales and England, with similar regulatory status but smaller share — a direct competitor in the same qualification categories.

Others

• British Council: The British Council administers UK academic and professional qualifications internationally as a delivery partner — adjacent rather than competing, given its role as a distribution channel for awarding bodies like AQA rather than an awarding body itself.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AQA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/aqaeducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AQA company