Assessment and Qualifications Alliance

AQA, also known as the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, is a United Kingdom based awarding organisation that designs and delivers academic qualifications for secondary education. Its core portfolio includes General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and Advanced Level (A‑Level) examinations, which are taken by students in schools and colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition to these mainstream qualifications, AQA develops vocational and technical awards that support learners progressing to further study or employment. The organisation creates the question papers, mark schemes and supporting resources used in each examination series, and it provides the online platforms through which examiners access and assess candidate work. By supplying these services, AQA plays a central role in the assessment infrastructure that underpins the UK’s national curriculum and qualification framework.

AQA operates under the regulatory oversight of Ofqual, the body that monitors standards and fairness in qualifications offered in England, and it must comply with the requirements set out in the relevant education legislation. Its work involves handling large volumes of sensitive data, including examiner personal information and the content of live exam papers, as highlighted by two notable cyber‑security incidents reported in 2017 and 2023. The 2017 breach exposed the personal details of tens of thousands of examiners, while the 2023 incident saw authentic exam papers compromised through a compromised school email system and offered for sale online. These events underscore AQA’s responsibility for safeguarding both candidate assessment materials and the data of its examiner workforce. As a key provider of qualifications, AQA’s activities are integral to maintaining public confidence in the reliability and integrity of the UK’s examination system.