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Writing your A level NEA

Writing your NEA

This is an imprtant step and you will need to follow our guidelines carefully both to ensure that your coursework is accepted by the examination board and to get the best possible mark.

Before you begin your coursework, please take some time to read the introduction to your course materials and the lessons that explain the coursework/NEA. Understanding these sections early will make the whole process much smoother.

You cannot submit your final NEA for marking until your tutor has already seen:

  • at least six Tutor‑Marked Assignments (TMAs)
  • your plan
  • your draft

However, this does not mean you must wait until you reach the NEA section in the course. You are welcome to start thinking about, planning, or drafting your NEA earlier if you feel ready.

You will also need to book a minimum of three hours of tuition through our online tutoring website. These sessions help keep your NEA on track, and they allow your tutor to authenticate your coursework in line with exam board requirements.

Please remember that your NEA must be entirely your own work. Tutors must follow strict rules about how much help they can give, so while they can guide you, they cannot provide detailed corrections or rewrite sections for you.

You may like to read the guidance given by JCQ to tutors and exam centres;  https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Instructions_NEA_24-25_FINAL.pdf (JCQ is the body which sets the rules for all exam boards, including AQA).

 

Choosing Your Topic

Your tutor will help guide you towards topics and titles that give you the best chance of success, but the final choice is always yours. If you prefer to be more independent, that’s absolutely fine; your tutor will still support you within the rules.

Please remember that the title and outline planning of your NEA is the stage where your tutor can give you the most help. Once you begin writing, the amount of support they can offer becomes very limited due to strict exam‑board rules.

Because of this, we strongly recommend booking a one‑to‑one tutorial for your planning discussion. Talking things through live is far more helpful than email, and your tutor can give clearer guidance in real time. Email support is available if you have purchased the add‑on, but it is designed for short, simple questions only. Anything more detailed, especially anything relating to planning your NEA, is much better handled in a tutorial.

You may submit one plan, one draft, and then your final version of your NEA to your tutor. This structure helps keep your project on track and ensures your tutor can authenticate your coursework properly.

If you are doing History A level and you wish to use a different title from the one that we have chosen then please discuss this with your tutor. The 15th November is the latest date that you can submit a different title for approval by AQA.

Deadlines

We do not set formal deadlines for submitting your plan or draft, as every student works at a different pace. However, please be aware that the final and absolutely non‑negotiable deadline for receiving your completed coursework is 15 March.

We cannot accept any work after this date,  under any circumstances. Please do not assume there are exceptions. Also, do not follow the AQA deadlines. Ours are different for a reason, and you must work to the Oxford Online Learning deadline only.

To give yourself the best chance of success, work backwards from 15 March and make sure you leave enough time to submit:

  • your plan
  • your draft
  • your final NEA

Booking one‑to‑one tutorials will help you stay on track and ensure you receive the right level of guidance at the right time.

Assessment Objectives and Other Help

The AQA website contains a lot of useful information about what is required to achieve the best marks in your NEA. These are called Assessment Objectives (AOs), and they are different for each subject. You should make yourself very familiar with them, as they explain exactly what the exam board is looking for.

There is also additional subject‑specific guidance available on the AQA website. Please don’t ignore it,  discuss it with your tutor and try to follow any suggestions they make. Your tutor knows what typically leads to strong marks.

However, please remember:

  • Your tutor cannot tell you exactly what to write.
  • They can only give general guidance.
  • If they give more than general advice, marks must be deducted.

For this reason, we strongly recommend booking one‑to‑one tutorials. Tutorials allow your tutor to guide you properly without crossing the line into giving too much help.

Authentication

Your tutor is not allowed to authenticate your final NEA unless they have seen:

  • at least six Tutor‑Marked Assignments (TMAs)
  • your plan
  • your draft
  • 3 hours of one-to-one tuition

This is essential because your tutor must be confident that the work is genuinely yours and matches your usual style and standard.

After receiving your final NEA, your tutor will need to have a detailed discussion with you about your ideas, concepts, and sources. This is part of the authentication process.

Your work will also be checked for AI use and plagiarism. If any is found, your NEA will be rejected and you will receive no marks.

Your work will be tested for both AI and plagiarism and if any is found your work will be rejected and you will get no marks.

Submission of Your Final NEA

You must send an electronic version of your final NEA to your tutor by 15 March. This deadline is absolute and non‑negotiable. We cannot accept any work after this date.

Please note:

  • Handwritten coursework is not accepted.
  • Your final NEA must include a signed Candidate Record Form (CRF) attached to your work. Your tutor cannot accept or mark your NEA without this form.
    • Follow the link provided in your course materials to download the correct form for your subject.
    • GCSE English does not require a CRF.

When preparing your paper copy:

  • Put your name, centre number, and candidate number on every page.

Your NEA will not be accepted or marked unless all of the above are received by your tutor on or before 15 March. There are no extensions under any circumstances.

Marking your NEA

Your paper will go through three distinct phases.

Prime Marking – Your tutor will mark your final coursework.

Internal Moderation – The Prime mark will be checked and compared to the marking of other Oxford Open Learning tutors by the Head of Department to ensure that all our tutors are marking at the same level. This is so we can be sure your Prime Mark was neither too severe nor too generous.

After Internal moderation you will be advised of your mark by our exams office. If you believe that you have been unfairly marked then you have one week to challenge the process that was followed to determine your mark.  Your challenge will be considered by an independent assessor and AQA will be informed if any irregularities are uncovered.

External Exam Board Moderation – The entirety of Oxford Open Learning’s marking is sent to be scrutinised by an AQA moderator and compared to that of other centres.  Your mark may be changed at this stage.  We have no control over this part of the process.