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Citizenship GCSE

Citizenship qualifications give public recognition for pupil attainment and achievement in the subject.

What Citizenship qualifications are there?

Many teachers agree using qualifications help give status to the subject and ensure the achievements of students are recognised and valued by the school, parents and the wider community.

Over 20,000 students take the GCSE qualification each year and GCSE Citizenship Studies counts towards the DfE Progress 8 measure of attainment. A similar number continue to study politics at A level.

All students should be taught the key stage 4 Citizenship National Curriculum. Study of GCSE Citizenship Studies ensures students have addressed the National Curriculum and develop a deeper level of subject knowledge and understanding. They also undertake and get recognition for participation in an active citizenship project. 

Other qualifications

Politics, Law and Sociology make suitable A levels for students who wish to continue with they study of citizenship education post 16.

There are a range of level 1 and 2 qualifications available on the Ofqual register of qualifications which offer alternatives for students not following GCSEs, including:

The Extended Project (EPQ) is a stand-alone level 3 qualification in which students choose to develop and extend topics from within and beyond their taught subjects and is suitable for Citizenship. Find out more about Accrediting active citizenship through the EPQ

For those outside of the UK:

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Active Citizenship

The Active Citizenship Project or Citizenship Investigation is a key element of the GCSE Citizenship Studies qualification. The project require students investigate and research an issue, take responsible action and measure their impact against objectives.