International GCSEs Unitised Assessment
The Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) English as a Second Language qualification has recently been re-developed for first assessment from 2025. It will replace English as a Second Language (2017) which will have its last assessment in May/June 2025.
Unitised assessment structure
The new qualification is made up of four equally weighted units and will follow a unitised assessment structure. As it is a skills-based qualification, this is intended to be taught with all assessments at the end of the course of study, while allowing for individual resit opportunities.
Students can enter and sit (and re-sit) the individual unit exams in any series from May/June 2025. Once they have completed all unit exams, they can cash-in for an overall qualification grade. Each unit may be entered for as a separate unit either over a course of two or more examination series, or within a single examination series
Please note that the codes have been amended to allow for this unitised approach as follows:
| Paper | New Code (Issue 2) | Old Code (Issue 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Reading | 4WES1/01 | 4ES2/01 |
| Paper 2: Listening | 4WES2/01 | 4ES2/02 |
| Paper 3: Writing | 4WES3/01 | 4ES2/03 |
| Paper 4: Speaking | 4WES4/01 | 4ES2/04 |
| Cash-in code | 4XES2 | N/A |
There are no other changes to course content or assessment. If you have been using teaching materials relating to 4ES2, this is all still relevant for 4XES2 as course content and assessment has not changed.
This International GCSE in English as a Second Language (4XES2) is available to centres outside of the UK as well as to independent schools within the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! As with our other International GCSEs, our new IG ESL is available to centres outside of the UK and to Independent schools in the UK. It is designed to be taught with all assessments at the end of the course of study due to the skills based nature of the subject, while allowing for individual resit opportunities for specific units.
Unitised means that students are able to enter and sit the individual unit exams in any series from May/June 2025. Once they have completed all unit exams, they can cash-in for an overall qualification grade. Each unit may be entered for as a separate unit either over a course of two or more examination series, or within a single examination series.
Our modular qualifications are all designed to be taught and assessed during the course of study e.g. students cover half of the content in IG Geography, then sit their Unit 1 exam, followed by the second half of the content and sitting the Unit 2 exam the year after. IG ESL is a skills-based qualification and due to the way these skills are taught and the acquisition of language skills we recommend that ESL is taught in a linear way with all assessments at the end of the course of study, while allowing for individual resits of specific units.