November 2026 Teaching Science update
Hello everyone,
I hope you and your students enjoyed half-term and have settled back in. This month's update shares the latest news, guidance and resources to help you plan and teach Pearson Science qualifications.
Best wishes,
Irine Muhiuddin
Science Subject Advisor
BTEC National AAQ Applied Science support and feedback
If you teach BTEC National AAQ Applied Science, you’ll find answers to commonly asked questions, along with useful support and guidance, in the update below. This will be reviewed and updated periodically.
Teacher and Centre Needs Survey
Your experience matters, and we want to hear from you.
At Pearson, we are committed to supporting teachers and centres in delivering the BTEC National AAQ in Applied Science with confidence. This short survey is an opportunity to share what is working well, where you are experiencing challenges, and what additional guidance, teaching resources or professional development would make the greatest difference.
Your feedback will help us identify priorities, develop targeted training and provide practical support that responds to the needs of teachers and centres.
The survey should take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.
Thank you for helping us shape the support you need to deliver AAQ Applied Science successfully.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 13 November 2026 | Digital assessment plan deadline |
| 11 December 2026 |
The deadline for Access to Scripts |
Timetables to support your planning can be accessed from the link below.
You may use our free Access to Scripts service to view your candidates’ marked exam scripts online or download as a PDF. It is available from results day until the 11 December 2026.
Providing a rich source of information, you can use this service to help make decisions about requesting a review of marking, but it can also help inform future teaching and learning and gives insights and visibility that performance data alone cannot provide.
If scripts have been marked ‘traditionally’ (ie not online), you will need to request them, free of charge, by 11 December 2026, via the Post Results section of Edexcel Online as in previous exam series.
Note, you will need 'Exam viewer' in your Edexcel Online profile if you want to download candidate scripts from results day. Please ask your Exams Officer if you need this adding to your profile. Discover more about Access to Scripts, along with FAQs and a step-by-step User Guide.
Please note, candidate consent is required before requesting script copies, as per section 4.2 of the JCQ's Post-results services guide. Candidate consent can only be obtained after results have been published.
See how teachers have been using Access to Scripts
"An excellent service, we have used it to inform our teaching"
Take a look at the Access to Scripts case studies to see how a number of schools and colleges have been using this service to evaluate how their students performed in the exams, identify skills gaps, help tailor future teaching plans and to develop staff CPD.
BTEC and T Level dates
The Digital Assessment Plan (DAP) is now live, giving centres a simpler way to plan assessments. If you're delivering eligible BTEC qualifications to students starting in September 2026, you'll need to complete a digital assessment plan for those qualifications by 13 November 2026.
You only need to complete plans for programmes with a September 2026 start date. Existing cohorts already studying these qualifications don't need a digital assessment plan.
You need to complete a digital assessment plan for BTEC Level 3 Nationals and BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts. For a full list of qualifications in and out of scope, along with detailed guidance, see the digital assessment plan centre user guide.
You can also attend digital assessment plan training and drop-in sessions for support and guidance.
You can also refer to a video guide:
Our term-time checkpoint and key dates guide can help you understand the key milestones coming up across the year.
The guide brings together important dates, deadlines and actions, along with links to guidance, training, resources and support to help you plan ahead.
While many of the key dates are managed by your exams officer or quality nominee, it's important that everyone involved in delivering qualifications understands what's coming up and when. Working closely with your exams officer can help ensure registrations, assessment activity and internal processes stay on track, supporting the timely issue of learner results.
You'll also find opportunities to join events and webinars throughout the year, helping you stay informed, connected and up to date with the latest guidance.
We recommend bookmarking the guide and referring to it throughout the year. You may also want to share it with colleagues involved in qualification delivery, so everyone understands key milestones, what's expected and where to go for support.
Your overview of key QA activities for the year.
You can visit the T Levels Admin Support page to access the Key Dates Schedule for the T Level Technical Qualification in Science (2026-28), which includes registration periods, assessment dates, results release dates, and post-results services deadlines.
Go to the T Levels Admin support page
We will provide a range of live online training events over the coming months across our science qualifications. Keep an eye on our training page to explore all upcoming events and book your place.
Training events that are available in the near future have been highlighted below.
GCSE Science
18 November 2026 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT
This free online training, delivered by one of our credible specialists, supports teachers delivering Pearson Edexcel GCSE science qualifications. The session provides an opportunity to review a range of past paper exam questions and explore student exemplars. Participants will learn how to apply examiner guidance to award marks accurately. You will:
- explore different approaches to running, marking and moderating mock exams
- review a range of sample assessment questions and discuss how they are marked
- examine marked exemplars of exam responses.
Book from our Professional Development Academy page.
Interested in finding out more about the Exam Practice Assistant in Pearson Revise Online?
Pearson Publishing is hosting a free webinar 'Improving Performance in Edexcel Science GCSE' on 18 November at 4-4.30 pm. This will provide you with an opportunity to see the resource in action.
Find out more about Exam Practice Assistant
Pearson qualifications are also supported by resources produced by a range of other publishers. You don't have to purchase any paid for resources, including those from Pearson, to deliver our qualifications.
A level Science
Our Summer 2026 Exam Insights events will take place in November for A level Science.
These training events are for teachers of Pearson Edexcel A level Sciences and provide feedback and insights on the summer 2026 exam series. The sessions identify key observations related to candidate performance highlighted in the examiner report and provides strategies to help with your planning for the year ahead. You will:
- look at candidate performance from the summer 2026 exam series
- review key observations and trends identified in the examiner reports
- explore these key observations in more detail using annotated exemplars
- discover teaching and learning strategies to address challenges identified.
Book from our Professional Development Academy page.
BTEC National (AAQ) Applied Science
17 November 2026 at 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
This session is aimed at teachers in England only preparing to deliver the BTEC National (2025) in Applied Science. This is a repeat of sessions which have run under the same title in 2025/26.
This live session will meet the following objectives:
- Centres can confidently plan the delivery of the new qualifications at Level 3, based on their and their learners' needs.
- Centres have a clear view on the underpinning knowledge required to deliver the units.
- Centres identify how to use internal assessment support materials to inform teaching and learning and understand the standard.
- Centres know where to find support, via the website or specific roles within Pearson.
The training provides a general run through of internal and external assessment. These areas are covered in greater detail in our BTEC National (2025) ‘Getting Ready to Assess Internal Units’ and ‘Preparing Your Learners for External Assessment’ events. These live events will be available during the 2026/27 academic year and beyond. Please be aware that this event will be recorded and may be shared publicly.
23 November 2026 at 16:30 - 18:00 GMT
These events, and the qualifications covered, are suitable for CENTRES IN ENGLAND ONLY. Please note: This event will cover a minimum of one mandatory unit plus other units where applicable.
Delegates will:
- Review the QA process for the BTEC National Level 3 qualifications
- Explore the assessment criteria and requirements for internal assessment.
- Look at some examples of assessment materials.
Address common issues and frequently asked questions. Pearson has reviewed the format and content of all its training events to ensure the security of its examinations. Please be aware that this event will be recorded and may be shared publicly.
30 November 2026 at 16:30 - 18:00 GMT
During this session you will:
- Discuss the external assessment unit content
- Gain an overview of the assessment and its structure
- Discuss how to best prepare your learners to sit an external assessment
- Look at example questions and the accompanying mark schemes
This training is for ENGLAND CENTRES ONLY. You can register for the event from the training page.
T Level Science
We are hosting informal fortnightly 'T Level Laboratory Science: Ask, Share, Solve' drop-in sessions from 4.00pm to 5.00pm.
The next sessions will take place on 11 and 25 November and 9 December.
These sessions provide an opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and explore practical solutions to support your delivery of T Level Laboratory Science. Whether your questions relate to content, assessment, resources or implementation, join us to discuss what matters most to you and receive guidance to support your delivery.
Past, on-demand and centre-based training options
If you would like to revisit previous training, you can download training materials from the relevant qualification pages. These can be found under ‘Course Materials’ in the ‘Teaching and learning materials’ section. This includes materials from GCSE Science Insight events for Summer 2026 that took place in October.
Highlighted below are some of the other ways you can access pre-recorded, on-demand and centre-based training.
Find recordings of past events and pre-recorded training for your GCSE and A level Science qualifications in a handy YouTube playlist document:
You can also visit our Professional Development Academy where you'll find a range of pre-recorded training as well as information about upcoming training events.
You can find out more in our Pearson Professional Development Guide (page 9 for science).
Please refer to the update 'BTEC National AAQ Applied Science: FAQs, support and guidance' where you will be guided to recorded training.
Go to the BTEC National AAQ Applied Science: FAQs, support and guidance update
Access our on-demand training at a time that suits you. This includes general training and sector specific training.
We also provide centre-based training opportunities. Visit our training page to find out more.
BTEC National AAQ Applied Science
We’ve released new resources to help you teach BTEC National AAQ Applied Science. You’ll find the latest resources below, as well as further support and guidance in our 'BTEC National AAQ Applied Science: FAQs, support and guidance' update.
We have produced a practical support document for Unit 4. This resource gives you additional guidance for planning and delivering practical activities and helps students build confidence in their scientific knowledge and skills.
You can download the document from the course materials page. It provides a range of practical activities across biology, chemistry and physics. It includes suggested methods, equipment lists, data collection activities and opportunities for evaluation, helping students develop their scientific knowledge, practical techniques and confidence. These activities support teaching and learning, but they don't replace the practical assessment tasks in the Pearson-set assignment brief.
We have produced a practical support document for Unit 5 to give you additional guidance to help with planning and delivering practical activities.
This document provides a range of suggested scientific investigations across biology, chemistry, physics and wider scientific contexts. It helps you and your students select and develop suitable investigations, with guidance on variables, data collection, analysis and evaluation.
The suggested investigations are examples rather than prescribed activities. You can also develop other suitable investigations that meet the unit specification and assessment requirements.
You can download the document from the course materials page.
To support your teaching of Unit 6 we have a video 'How to evaluate a contemporary scientific development'.
T Level Science
There is plenty of support available to help you deliver T Level Science. Explore training opportunities, keep up to date with the latest T Level updates, find guidance and resources on the qualification page, browse our FAQs and discover T Level success stories.
Help shape future Science support
We’re gathering feedback on training and support needs across T Level Science. Tell us where additional guidance, resources or training would be most useful by completing our Science training and support needs survey.
GCSE Science: Have your say on Pearson Revise
Do you use Pearson Revise resources with your students? Our Publishing team would love to hear how they’re working for you. If you use either the printed revision guides or Pearson Revise Online, please take a few minutes to share your feedback:
Pearson Revise Printed revision guides – how are they working for you?
Pearson Revise Online – how is it working for you?
Your feedback is a valuable way to share your experience of using these resources.
Toolkit for options events
Options season is getting underway in schools and colleges. Explore our BTEC options resources, including student and parent guides, career pathways, progression information and stories showcasing vocational learning.
Please use these links to obtain our very latest information and guidance related to Level 2 (Post 16) and Level 3 reforms:
The Post-16 Level 3 vocational qualification reforms affect England only and do not affect Wales or Northern Ireland.
If you’d like to be involved in the development of our future qualifications through this reform period, let us know. We rely on your expertise and experience to make sure our qualifications suit the needs of you and your learners.
Sign-up to get involved
How clear is your GCSE specification about what to teach, and how deeply?
We’re thinking about redesigning how future specifications are written and want to hear directly from teachers about what works and what doesn’t. The survey is short, anonymous and takes around 12 minutes — and you can take part whatever exam board you use.
We're working alongside teachers, students and science experts to help shape the future of GCSE Science and support schools through reform.
The current BTEC Higher National in Applied Sciences (2019) will retire on 31 August 2027. In England, it will be replaced by the BTEC Higher National in Applied Sciences for England (2027), which is intended to be designated as a Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ), subject to Department for Education approval.
While the England qualification is still going through the approval process, you can take an early look at the new 2027 specification for Wales, Northern Ireland and international centres. Please note that this is not the specification that will be delivered in England and the England version may change before approval.
Find out what it means to be a Pearson Assessment Associate, what the benefits are and how to apply at our free virtual webinar on Wednesday 18 November, 4-4:45pm (GMT).
During the 45-minute event, we’ll cover:
- What to expect from the Assessment Associate role
- The benefits involved
- How to apply Answers to your questions in a live Q&A.
- Take your first step towards becoming a Pearson Examiner.
Subject advisor
Irine Muhiuddin and Tim Lawrence
UK and International Science
