If you or your young person is hoping to complete an Aced Qualifications course in time for Summer 2026, we wanted to share some important information to help you plan ahead.
Our courses are designed to be flexible and self-paced, which means learners can complete at different points of the year. However, we know that many families like to work towards the summer period so that qualifications can support college enrolment and other next steps around the same time as GCSE results day.
The information below explains key deadlines, summer availability, certificate guidance and course-specific information for each qualification.
Important deadline for Summer 2026 completion
For learners wishing to give themselves the best chance of receiving their physical certificate in line with GCSE results day 2026, the recommended whole course submission deadline is 26th June 2026.
This date has been set to allow time for:
- assessment of submitted work
- feedback to be given where needed
- any minor modifications or corrections to be made
- internal moderation
- certificate claiming with NCFE
While our courses are flexible, this earlier deadline helps give enough time for the full process to be completed during what is naturally a busy period.
Completing later than June 2026
Learners can still complete after 26th June 2026 if needed.
However, if work is completed after this point, we cannot guarantee that the physical certificate will arrive in the post in time for GCSE results day.
If evidence of completion is needed for college or other next steps, we can provide:
- email confirmation that the certificate has been claimed, or
- an Aced Qualifications headed letter confirming that the course has been completed
This can often be helpful where a learner is still waiting for the physical certificate to arrive.
Direct Claims Status (DCS)
We currently hold Direct Claims Status (DCS) for all of our courses, apart from our newest addition, Level 1 Graphic Design.
This means that for most courses, we are able to assess, internally moderate and claim certificates throughout the year, without waiting for a fixed external moderation window. This gives learners much more flexibility when completing.
That said, the summer period is naturally busier with NCFE, which is why we still recommend the earlier June deadline for learners hoping to complete in line with GCSE results day.
Summer availability and shutdown dates
Please do bear in mind our summer availability when planning final submissions.
As with all of our courses, learners must wait for submissions to be manually approved before moving on to the next stage, and feedback will follow in due course.
Our summer off-peak period runs from 3rd August until 3rd September. During this time, we are still happy to continue approving and assessing work for learners who are trying to complete by the summer, up until 20th August.
Our full shutdown period then runs from 20th August until 3rd September.
No approvals or assessments will take place during the shutdown period, so this is worth keeping in mind if you are working close to the end of summer.
Course-specific information: Level 2 Certificate in Art & Design
Learners will meet the criteria for the course, as outlined by NCFE, through the completion of the project modules. If you would like further information about the unit areas and learning objectives for this course, please see the prospectus or the curriculum overview document.
This course consists of 10 project modules, followed by a final portfolio assignment at the end of the course.
If learners successfully pass each module, they will in turn have met all of the required assessment criteria. Once all modules have been successfully completed, Aced Qualifications will be able to certificate the qualification.
It is important that we have your most up-to-date postal address, as your certificate will be sent out in the post.
Learners can complete this course at any point of the year. However, if you are aiming to complete in line with GCSE results day 2026, please aim to meet the 26th June 2026 deadline.
Please remember that this is a Pass or Not Yet Achieved style of course, without further grading.
Course-specific information: Level 2 Certificate in Photography
Learners will meet the criteria for the course, as outlined by NCFE, through the completion of the project modules. If you would like further information about the unit areas and learning objectives for this course, please see the prospectus or the curriculum overview document.
This course consists of 10 modules, including a final portfolio assignment at the end of the course.
If learners successfully pass each module, they will in turn have met all of the required assessment criteria. Once all modules have been successfully completed, Aced Qualifications will be able to certificate the qualification.
It is important that we have your most up-to-date postal address, as your certificate will be sent out in the post.
Learners can complete this course at any point of the year. However, if you are aiming to complete in line with GCSE results day 2026, please aim to meet the 26th June 2026 deadline.
Please remember that this is a Pass or Not Yet Achieved style of course, without further grading.
Course-specific information: Level 1 Award in Graphic Design
Learners will meet the criteria for the course, as outlined by NCFE, through the completion of the project modules. If you would like further information about the unit areas and learning objectives for this course, please see the prospectus or the curriculum overview document.
This course consists of 10 modules, including a final portfolio assignment at the end of the course.
If learners successfully pass each module, they will in turn have met all of the required assessment criteria. Once all modules have been been completed, the work will be ready for external moderation.
As this is a newer course, we have not yet achieved Direct Claim Status for Level 1 Graphic Design. This means certificates can only be claimed at set points during the year, following external moderation with NCFE.
If you are aiming to complete in line with GCSE results day 2026, please aim to meet the 26th June 2026 deadline so that work is ready in time for external moderation.
The next likely end point after this will be around the end of January 2027, so learners completing later should aim for that moderation point in order to receive certification.
Please remember that this is a Pass or Not Yet Achieved style of course, without further grading.
Course-specific information: Level 2 Certificate in Sport
Throughout the course, learners will have been meeting the course unit criteria and specific grading criteria, receiving grades for each individual learning outcome as they progress. If you would like further information about the unit areas and learning objectives for this course, please see the prospectus or the curriculum overview document.
Unit grades
Learners can achieve the following grades within each unit:
- Not Yet Achieved (NYA)
- Pass
- Merit
- Distinction
In order to achieve a specific grade for a unit, the learner must achieve that grade, where available, for every Learning Outcome (LO) within that unit.
For example, if a learner is aiming for a Merit in Unit 1, they must achieve at least a Merit for every LO within Unit 1.
Overall course grades
The overall course grade is worked out as an average across all four units.
For example:
- 2 x Merits and 2 x Distinctions will give a Distinction overall
- 1 x Pass and 3 x Distinctions will also give a Distinction overall
Learners can amend and improve their work based on feedback as many times as they wish, until they are happy with the grade they are working towards.
When a learner is nearing completion, or has completed all work across the four units, they will receive an overview of their grades, along with feedback on how to work towards their target grade if they wish to improve earlier work.
Once the learner is happy with their overall grade, Aced Qualifications will be able to certificate the qualification.
It is important that we have your most up-to-date postal address, as your certificate will be sent out in the post.
Learners can complete this course at any point of the year. However, if you are aiming to complete in line with GCSE results day 2026, please aim to meet the 26th June 2026 deadline.
Please remember that this is a graded course, with possible outcomes of Not Yet Achieved, Pass, Merit or Distinction.
You can reach us at ac****************@*****ok.com or via our website contact form, we’re always happy to support you and your learner with their next steps.
