Citizenship GCSE & qualifications
Citizenship qualifications give public recognition for pupil attainment and achievement in the subject.
Citizenship qualifications give public recognition to pupil attainment and achievement in the subject. 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. ACT regularly provides training and CPD on GCSE Citizenship Studies and you can also request in-school training.
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.
Students in more than 600 schools, colleges and centres take the GCSE Citizenship Studies qualification each year which also counts towards the DfE Progress 8 measure of attainment. Student progress on to study a range of A level subjects including Politics taken by over 22,000 students, Sociology taken by more than 45,000, and Law taken by almost 15,000 students.
GCSE Citizenship Studies awarding bodies
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 academic subject knowledge and understanding alongside skills of critical thinking, research and evaluating evidence. They also undertake and get recognition for participation in an active citizenship project, where they apply their knowledge and understanding to real issues facing society today.
- GCSE Citizenship Studies qualifications are available from awarding bodies: AQA, Edexcel and OCR
- Access more information on active citizenship
- Join our GCSE teacher network and attend CPD
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 that offer alternatives for students not following GCSEs, including:
- the CERTA Community Organising certificate for level 2 and 3 and Community Organising Certificate for students aged 14-19
- the ASDAN Cope Award offers recognition for pupil’s personal and social development.
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:
- Pearson Edexcel iGCSE Global Citizenship
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.
