What AQA Global Assessment Services does

AQA Global Assessment Services is the international consulting and assessment-technology arm of AQA (AQA Education), the UK's largest exam board and an independent registered charity (charity number 1073334) tracing its origins to the 1903 Joint Matriculation Board. Headquartered in Manchester with a regional office in London and additional sites in Milton Keynes, Bahrain, Sharjah and Hong Kong, the entity serves education ministries, exam boards, awarding organisations, education providers and professional/certification bodies across more than 100 countries. Its headcount is 22 employees, supported by a network of over 1,000 specialist associates.

The company operates an end-to-end proprietary technology stack built around three core platforms: e-Marker® (on-screen marking, acquired 2016) with AI-assisted short-form answer grouping and AI handwriting recognition; GradeMaker Pro (exam authoring and item-banking, acquired 2023); and a cloud-based Exam Processing Platform developed with Avanade on Microsoft Azure that manages the full lifecycle from entries to results. These are complemented by GradeMaker Analytics (delivered with partner FFT), formative resources Exampro and Testbase, the AlphaPlus consultancy (acquired 2022) and Training Qualifications UK (TQUK, acquired 2022). The portfolio holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certifications, with all certifications issued by UKAS-accredited bodies.

The business model combines professional-services consulting (curriculum design, assessment design, assessment operations and reform projects with ministries), technology licensing (GradeMaker Pro and e-Marker® sold as modular or end-to-end enterprise licenses), and qualification endorsement revenue via TQUK. As a not-for-profit, any surplus is reinvested into research and innovation rather than distributed. The company reaches clients through direct enterprise sales, conference-led business development (Gold Partner at Education World Forum 2025 and 2026; Silver Sponsor at IAEA and AEAA in 2024), case-study content marketing and a quote-based, consultative pricing model. Documented client outcomes include a 50% reduction in marking time and 80-85% quality improvement at JNTU-K, secure remote authoring for the Botswana Examinations Council, and a national data portal covering 670 schools across 10 regions in Guyana.

Name

AQA Global Assessment Services

Legal name

AQA Global Assessment Services

Website

https://aqaglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AQA Global Assessment Services is the international arm of UK exam board AQA, providing curriculum consulting, assessment design and proprietary assessment technology (e-Marker, GradeMaker Pro, cloud-based exam processing) to education ministries, exam boards and awarding organisations in 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Assessment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Exam Delivery & Test Administration Platforms (EDAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG), Assessment & Item Writing / Test Content Development (EDAGAKAE), Digital Assessment Platforms & Computer-Based Testing Authorities (EDADAFAK)

Keywords

• Educational assessment services
• Exam board services
• On-screen marking
• Curriculum development
• Assessment design

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Curriculum & Assessment Consulting): End-to-end consulting services for curriculum development, assessment design, and reform. Projects range from single pieces of work to complete outsourced reform. Revenue generated through client contracts for bespoke professional services.
2. Technology Licensing (GradeMaker Pro): Licensing of the GradeMaker Pro authoring and item-banking platform to exam boards, awarding bodies, and education providers. GradeMaker is offered as a modular or end-to-end solution, with options for integration into existing technology stacks.
3. Technology Licensing (e-Marker®): Licensing of the e-Marker® on-screen marking platform to awarding bodies, professional bodies, and universities worldwide for digital exam marking.
4. Surplus Reinvestment Model: As an independent not-for-profit, AQA Global reinvests any surplus into research and innovation to improve the quality and reliability of assessments and inform policy and practice worldwide. No profit distribution to investors.
5. Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) Endorsement: AQA group provides endorsement and quality assurance for courses delivered by recognised centres, generating revenue through endorsement fees and external quality assurance checks.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AQA Global Assessment Services provides end-to-end educational assessment services and proprietary assessment technology to education ministries, exam boards, and education providers worldwide. Its core offerings span curriculum development, assessment design, and assessment operations — supported by proprietary technology platforms including the e-Marker on-screen marking system, the GradeMaker Pro authoring and item-banking platform, and a cloud-based exam processing platform built on Microsoft Azure. The organisation also delivers consultancy (AlphaPlus), vocational qualification endorsement (TQUK), and formative assessment resources (Exampro, Testbase), serving clients in over 100 countries.

Product overview

AQA Global Assessment Services offers a comprehensive assessment technology platform with three core proprietary products: e-Marker (on-screen marking platform), GradeMaker Pro (authoring and item-banking system), and an Exam Processing Technology Platform (cloud-based processing). These are complemented by GradeMaker Analytics (reporting tool delivered by partner FFT), formative assessment resources (Exampro and Testbase), and professional services (curriculum development, assessment design, and assessment operations). The company also incorporates acquired brands AlphaPlus Consultancy (regulatory consultancy) and Training Qualifications UK (certification/endorsement). The portfolio provides end-to-end capabilities from curriculum design through to exam delivery, marking, and results analysis, with integrations into best-of-breed exam delivery systems (Inspera Assessment, Surpass).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-Marker: On-screen marking platform for digital exam processing and marking management
• GradeMaker
• GradeMaker Pro
• GradeMaker Analytics
• AlphaPlus
• Training Qualifications UK (TQUK)
• Exampro
• Testbase

Products and services

• e-Marker Proprietary on-screen marking platform for digital exam paper processing, enabling centralised coordination of markers, automated work assignment, real-time progress monitoring, candidate anonymity, encrypted data transfer, quality assurance tools (standardisation, sampling, double-marking, seeding), and AI-assisted grouping of short-form answers. Licensed to awarding bodies, professional bodies, and universities worldwide. Holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 22301 certifications.
• GradeMaker Pro Test authoring and item-banking platform for print and on-screen exams. Provides workflow management, security enhancement with two-factor authentication and user permissions, question item-banking, test building, quality assurance tools, and test publishing to print or digital. Offered as a modular or end-to-end solution with integration into best-of-breed exam delivery systems such as Inspera Assessment and Surpass. Licensed to exam boards, awarding bodies, and education providers.
• GradeMaker Analytics Online reporting and data analysis tool delivered by partner FFT that brings together assessment results data at school, district, and national level via Tableau dashboards. Provides pre-constructed and customised reports including performance by subject, topic, region, demographics, and value-added analysis, supporting school improvement and inspectorate reporting.
• Exam Processing Technology Platform Proprietary cloud-based exam processing platform developed with Avanade on Microsoft Azure that manages all stages from receiving exam entries to recruiting examiners, processing marks, and delivering results. Designed to meet UK gold-standard regulatory requirements and fully scalable to support national assessment programmes.
• Exampro Searchable question bank containing thousands of past questions for over 50 AQA GCSEs and A-levels and other qualifications, with ready-made assessments, on-screen delivery, automarking, and reporting tools for teachers and schools.
• Testbase Formative assessment resource enabling teachers to repurpose content from English national curriculum tests to build bespoke, differentiated assessment resources for children aged 5 to 11.
• Curriculum Development Services Professional services covering curriculum and standards design, academic, technical, vocational and professional qualification development, school improvement and monitoring, and teacher training and certification, delivered to governments and education organisations.
• Assessment Design Services Expert services in designing assessments including summative exams, project-based assessment, on-screen adaptive tests, vocational assessment, and formative assessment, applying Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory to deliver question banks, support materials, and quality assurance.
• Assessment Operations Services End-to-end assessment operations services covering authoring and item-banking, on-screen exams, on-screen marking, exam processing, and results and data analysis, delivered as tailored engagements from single pieces of work to complete outsourced reform.
• AlphaPlus Consultancy Consultancy services supporting awarding organisations through regulatory changes and assessment reform, including survey research and sector analysis, delivered as part of the AQA group. Holds ISO 27001 certification.
• Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) Certification and endorsement services for vocational and professional courses and qualifications, providing external quality assurance checks for recognised centres, generating revenue through endorsement fees and external quality assurance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced marking time by 50% at JNTU-K, processing 32 million pages in approximately half the time of manual marking
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oxford University Press (OUP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015AQA and Oxford University Press (a department of the University of Oxford) co-created OxfordAQA in 2015 to provide International GCSEs and A-levels. This joint venture leverages AQA's assessment expertise with OUP's international reach and publishing capabilities to deliver internationally recognised qualifications.
• AvanadecoreTechnology or IntegrationAvanade partnered with AQA to develop AQA's cloud-based exam processing platform leveraging Microsoft Azure capabilities. The platform was designed to meet UK gold-standard regulatory requirements and is fully scalable.
• City & GuildsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity & Guilds is listed as a partner/client, using GradeMaker Pro to produce 800+ assessments annually. They appear on AQA Global's 'Who we work with' section of the website.
• National Centre for Social ResearchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner organisation in the 'Who we work with' section of the AQA Global website.
• Education World ForumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAQA Global has been a Gold Industry Partner at the Education World Forum in both 2025 and 2026. This is a key platform for engaging with global education leaders and ministers.
• Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAQA Global is a regular exhibitor at the Federation of Awarding Bodies annual conference, having attended for three consecutive years (as AlphaPlus previously, and now as AQA Global Assessment Services). They conduct industry surveys and present findings at FAB events.
• International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAQA Global regularly attends and presents at IAEA conferences, including Silver Sponsorship of the 2024 conference in Philadelphia. Staff presented research on topics including digital divide, online authored exams, and adaptive assessment.
• Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAQA Global was a Silver Sponsor of the AEAA 40th annual conference in 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa, and will attend AEAA 2026 in Arusha, Tanzania. Core market for AQA Global's international expansion.
• Association for Educational Assessment – Europe (AEA-Europe)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAQA Global exhibited and presented at AEA-Europe conferences in 2024 (Paphos, Cyprus) and earlier years, discussing emerging uses of technology in assessment.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OxfordAQA: Joint venture between AQA and Oxford University Press delivering international GCSEs and A-levels in 70+ countries. Closely comparable offering; overlapping customer base though commercially aligned with the subject.
• Pearson Edexcel: Pearson's Edexcel division is a major UK and international exam board offering GCSEs, A-levels, BTECs and international qualifications. Direct competitor in the same exam-board category with similar international school and ministry customer base.
• Cambridge Assessment International Education: Part of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Assessment is one of the world's largest exam boards offering international GCSEs, A-levels and other qualifications in 160+ countries. Directly comparable as a UK-anchored exam board providing international qualifications and assessment services.
• Surpass (Assessment Systems): UK-based assessment platform used by awarding bodies and higher education institutions for item banking, test delivery and marking. Comparable technology peer and GradeMaker integration partner in the same end-to-end assessment stack.
• City & Guilds: UK-based vocational and professional awarding body offering 500+ qualifications globally. Comparable as a fellow awarding body using GradeMaker Pro, addressing similar enterprise and government customers with similar assessment services.
• Prometric: Global test delivery and candidate management provider for high-stakes certification and licensure exams. Directly comparable as a technology-enabled operator of secure, scaled exam administration for awarding bodies and regulators.
• WJEC (CBAC): Welsh awarding body offering GCSEs, A-levels and vocational qualifications and a long-standing customer of e-Marker for on-screen marking. Direct UK exam-board peer with overlapping subject curriculum and assessment operations.
• Inspera Assessment: Norwegian-headquartered digital assessment platform used by exam boards and universities for high-stakes on-screen exams. Directly comparable technology competitor and integration partner with GradeMaker Pro.

Broad incumbents

• British Council: UK non-profit that delivers English-language testing (IELTS, Aptis) and operates international education programmes in 100+ countries. Overlapping customer base of education ministries and similar mission-driven positioning.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): US-headquartered non-profit that develops and administers standardized tests (TOEFL, GRE, Praxis) globally and provides assessment design and psychometric services. Comparable as a larger, established non-profit operating across the same assessment services and technology categories.

Market position

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/post
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AQAGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqa-global

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about AQA Global Assessment Services