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Ukrainian GCSE: 17 Things to Know About the New Qualification Coming in 2028

On 4 November 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a new GCSE in Ukrainian. The exam board AQA will write it. Schools are expected to start teaching it in September 2028. If you teach Ukrainian pupils, lead a languages department or run exams, this guide explains what you need to know now.

1. What was announced

The government says it will create a new GCSE in Ukrainian. It will be open to pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The DfE asked AQA, one of the main exam boards, to develop it. The government says the aim is to help Ukrainian children keep their language and culture while gaining a qualification for further study and work.

2. Who made the announcement

The press release came from the DfE and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It included comments from four people:

  • Lucy Powell, the Education Secretary.
  • Lord Wood, the Minister for Europe.
  • Andrii Butenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science.
  • Colin Hughes, AQA’s chief executive.

Schools minister Georgia Gould also spoke about the GCSE on a visit to St Mary’s Ukrainian school in west London, according to the Kyiv Post.

3. How it is being paid for

The Kyiv Post, quoting Schools Week, reports that the DfE plans to give AQA up to £340,000 to develop the GCSE. This depends on a contract being agreed. The money is meant to make it worth building a qualification for a fairly small group of pupils. The government’s own press release does not give a figure. It does link the news to a wider £10 billion support package for Ukraine.

4. The timeline

  • Now: AQA is starting the next stage of work, bringing in language and subject experts.
  • Before teaching starts: Ofqual, the exams regulator for England, must approve the qualification.
  • September 2028: first teaching expected.
  • Summer 2029: first exams, according to AQA.

Most GCSE courses last two years. All the sources we read say the first exams are in 2029, only one year after first teaching. Check AQA’s specification when it appears to see how this will work.

5. Why now: the number of Ukrainian pupils

Many Ukrainian families came to the UK after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Most came through two visa routes. These were the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme, where UK households host refugees. The Migration Observatory at Oxford says about 210,000 people had arrived by July 2024. About 27% of arrivals were under 18.

The DfE does not record pupils’ nationality, so there is no current count of Ukrainian pupils. A 2022 survey estimated 20,500 school place offers for children from Ukraine in England. Greensheets reports more than 30,000 Ukrainian children arrived in the UK in total.

6. The Russian GCSE problem

Until now, there has been no Ukrainian GCSE. Some Ukrainian pupils were reportedly pushed towards GCSE Russian instead, so they could get a language grade. Ukraine’s education ministry raised concerns about this with the DfE in 2024. Georgia Gould apologised to affected pupils. She said: “I’m really sorry that they were put in that position.” The Kyiv Post notes these were cases of pressure on individual pupils, not a national rule.

7. How the idea developed

Ukrainian community groups in the UK had campaigned for this GCSE. In May 2025, the then Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, asked exam boards to consider it. AQA confirmed it was exploring the idea at that point. The Ukrainian World Congress reports that an earlier Ukrainian GCSE was dropped in 1995 because too few pupils took it.

8. How community-language GCSEs work

A “community language” is a language spoken by a community living in the UK, often at home. Many pupils who take these GCSEs already speak the language. Small numbers of entries can make these exams costly for boards to run. That is why the DfE is paying towards this one.

9. Community languages saved before

In 2015, exam boards said they would stop offering several smaller language GCSEs and A levels. The government stepped in to keep them. The Association for Language Learning (ALL) lists how they were shared out:

  • AQA: Bengali, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi and Polish.
  • Pearson (Edexcel): Arabic, Greek, Gujarati, Japanese, Portuguese, Turkish and Urdu.

Ukrainian will join this group of smaller languages. Check the boards’ websites for what is on offer today, as this list dates from 2015.

10. What the exam will test

The government says the GCSE will test listening, speaking, reading and writing, like other language GCSEs. It will also cover the culture and history behind the language. AQA says it will follow Ofqual’s existing rules for modern foreign languages (MFL). The detailed content is not published yet.

11. What Ofqual’s current rules say

Ofqual’s current rules for language GCSEs other than French, German and Spanish set these features. Ofqual could revise them before 2028.

  • Listening, speaking, reading and writing are each worth 25% of the marks.
  • There are two tiers. Foundation covers grades 1 to 5. Higher covers grades 4 to 9.
  • The speaking test lasts 7 to 9 minutes at foundation and 10 to 12 minutes at higher.
  • Speaking tests happen in a window in April and May and must be recorded.
  • Pupils cannot use dictionaries in any part of the exam.

12. Who can take it

The government says the GCSE is open to all pupils, not just Ukrainian children. AQA says it will give a recognised route for learners in England, for those who return to Ukraine, and elsewhere. In practice, most early entries are likely to be pupils who already speak Ukrainian at home.

13. Taking it as a private candidate

A “private candidate” is someone who sits an exam without being taught it at a school or college. This includes home-educated pupils. Ofqual says private candidates must register at a school or college to sit their exams. No source we read says how AQA will handle private Ukrainian entries yet. For other small languages, Pearson lets schools bring in an outside examiner for the speaking test. That person needs strong skills in the language and must not be a relative of the pupil.

14. What it means for teachers and schools

Few schools have a qualified Ukrainian teacher. If you want to offer the course, you may need to recruit a Ukrainian speaker or work with a local Ukrainian Saturday school. Speaking tests need someone who can conduct them in Ukrainian. AQA says teachers and Ukrainian language experts will help design the course. Watch for chances to take part.

15. What it means for pupils and parents

Pupils will be able to get a GCSE grade for a language they already know. This could matter for language loss. A University of York study of 100 Ukrainian child refugees found many were losing Ukrainian fluency after a year in Britain. Campaigners at St Mary’s Ukrainian school now want a Ukrainian A level too. The government has not said whether one will follow.

16. Options until 2028

Pupils sitting GCSEs before 2029 cannot take Ukrainian. Here are some options to discuss with families:

  • Take another language GCSE they genuinely choose. No pupil should feel pushed into Russian.
  • Use the All-Ukrainian School Online. This is a free Ukrainian state platform with lessons for grades 1 to 11.
  • Enrol in a Ukrainian school as well, if families want a Ukrainian certificate. The online platform alone does not give one.
  • Attend a local Ukrainian Saturday or community school to keep up reading and writing.

17. How it fits with wider languages policy, and what you can do now

The government’s November 2025 response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review kept languages at key stages 2 and 3. It also removed the EBacc (English Baccalaureate) performance measure. ALL warned this could reduce GCSE language take-up. The DfE now says it is preparing a consultation on a revised curriculum, including changes to language learning. Meanwhile, you can:

  • Find out which pupils speak Ukrainian, and in which year groups.
  • Ask families whether they would want the GCSE in 2028.
  • Check that no pupil is being steered into Russian against their wishes.
  • Ask your exams officer how you would run speaking tests in a language you do not teach.
  • Sign up for AQA updates so you see the draft specification when it is published.

Find out more

Details correct at 8 November 2026 based on DfE, AQA and Ofqual publications and news reports, and may change. Always check the latest guidance.

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