Pre-GCSE Classical Qualifications CPD
- May 7
- 9 min read
Overview
This blog provides a comprehensive overview of qualifications, assessments, and curricula for teaching Latin, Greek, and classical civilization at pre-GCSE at both national and international levels. It includes details on various qualification types, assessment structures, and resources, as well as a bibliography of articles and relevant website addresses.
The blog is a version of some CPD I carried out on behalf of the charity Classics for All on 6th May 2026.
1. Ladder of Qualifications
The document outlines a progression ladder of qualifications available for classical subjects, focusing on Latin, Classical Greek and Classical Civilisation. These qualifications are designed for different levels of learners, from introductory to more advanced stages. As you can see from the table below, the UK qualifications are ‘graded’ from 1-5, ranging from lower level GCSEs to University Undergraduate courses (there are also levels 6 and above, which relate to Masters and PhDs).
| Level | General Qualifications | Applied and Vocational Qualifications | Work-related Qualifications | Classical subjects Degrees in Classics and variants Cambridge OCR AS / A levels in Latin, Greek, Classical Civilisation and Ancient History. IB Highers in Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation. SQA Advanced Highers in Latin and Classical Studies. | |
Higher Education | 5
| Full-time or part-time study at a college or university.
Qualifications include Foundation Degrees, Degrees, HNDs and HNCs.
| NVQ Level 5. | |||
4 | NVQ Level 4. | |||||
| 3 | AS / A levels.
International Baccalaureate.
Scottish Advanced Highers
| Advanced Diploma.
OCR Level 3.
BTEC National Diplomas.
| NVQ Level 3. | ||
2 | Old GCSEs (Grades A*-C).
New GCSEs (Grades 9-5).
Scottish Highers. | Higher Diploma.
OCR Level 2.
BTEC Firsts. | NVQ Level 2. | Cambridge OCR GCSEs in Latin, Greek, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History. EDUQAS GCSE in Latin. CIE IGCSEs in Latin. SQA Highers in Latin and Classical Studies. | ||
Foundation Learning | 1 | Old GCSEs (Grades D-G).
New GCSEs (Grades 4-1).
Scottish National 5s. | Foundation Diploma.
OCR Level 1.
BTEC Introductory.
| NVQ Level 1. | Cambridge OCR GCSEs in Latin, Greek, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History. WJEC Level 1 Certificate in Latin Language and Roman Civilisation. SQA National 5s in Latin and Classical Studies. | |
Entry | Entry Level Certificates.
Skills for life. | Cambridge OCR Entry Level certificate in Latin. ICCG Greek Certificate. Minimus certificates. CLC graded tests. EMACT Greek test. | ||||
Unrecognised qualifications |
| |||||
We are concerned today with those Classics qualifications right at the bottom of the progression ladder – the entry level ones and those which are unrecognised qualifications.
2. Latin Qualifications - Unrecognised by Ofqual
Minimus (Primus and Secundus) is a Latin course book designed for use in primary schools. It has its own set of Progress Checks:
Used after chapters 4, 8 and 12 of Book 1.
Accessible to all students following the course.
Multiple choice questions, including Latin and Roman civilisation topics.
Minimus Progress Checks are for primary or early secondary settings, mixed-ability groups, and informal learning environments. Teacher-assessed, making it accessible for non-specialist teachers. The simplicity and accessibility allow all students to participate, regardless of prior experience, and support confidence-building and subject recognition through awards ceremonies.
Cambridge Latin Course (CLC) is a Latin course book designed for use in early to mid secondary schools (high schools). It has a set of Graded Tests:
Used after CLC Book 1 (stage 12), Book 2 (stages 16 and 20), and Book 3 (stage 28).
Booklet of photocopiable tests; three options per stage, so that you can ring the changes for a few years.
Accessible to all students; the pass mark is 35/50. The point is to incentivise students to pass!
Format: (1) comprehension questions on a Latin story and (2) Roman civilisation background.
Teacher-assessed and externally moderated; certificates available from CSCP.
The staged approach matches the progression of the CLC curriculum, allowing students to be assessed at appropriate points in their learning. I’ve found these certificates to be very useful at motivating students to keep at it, especially in the doldrums period sometimes found at the end of Year 9 when option choices have been made. The possibility of a certificate with the Cambridge University logo on can sometimes be enough to keep those who are not going to carry on to persevere.
As is the case with the Minimus Progress Checks, awards ceremonies at school assemblies can be another way to sell your subject, remind the head teacher that you still exist, and please students and parents alike. The CLC certificates must also be signed by the Head, which further reminds them (if they need to know) of how many students are succeeding at Latin.
The information above pertains to the UK 4th edition of the CLC. I am informed by colleagues that the UK CLC 5th edition will, in due course, have Graded Tests, which will align more with the new stories. The old 4th edition ones will still be available, and the linguistic level will still match.
3. Latin Qualifications - Recognised by Ofqual
OCR Entry Level Certificate in Latin
50% Latin language (vocabulary, grammar, origins, comprehension, translation).
50% Roman culture (two 200-word tasks or one 400-word task, held under coursework conditions).
DVL (Defined Vocabulary List) of about 100 words.
Internally assessed, externally moderated.
Guided learning hours: 120.
There were 485 entries in 2025.
The OCR Entry Level Certificate in Latin is designed for schools with limited curriculum time or for students not ready for GCSE. It is internally assessed, externally moderated. The balance of language and culture, plus a manageable vocabulary list, makes it accessible for students progressing beyond the basics but not yet at GCSE level.
I’ve found the OCR Entry Level Certificate used in informal lessons as an incentive to keep going. I’ve also seen it used as a qualification given to the whole year group, where Latin is taught to everyone in, say, Year 8, both as a stepping stone for those signing up to GCSE, and also in recognition for the achievement of those who aren’t carrying on. I’ve also seen it used as a capstone qualification for an optional enrichment course at Sixth Form level.
The coursework element of the essay – free choice – is an extra incentive for students to follow their own interests. As it is wide open to whatever subject matter they choose, it means that they may need some guidance. It could be a report of a site visit, or a creative response to an artefact, or a simple essay about a topic which interests them about the Roman world (expressed as a ‘How much?’ questions rather than a ‘What?’ question). Some students find writing a mere 400 words something of a challenge in its own right.
WJEC Level 1 Certificates
Latin Language & Roman Civilisation:
67% comprehension and translation of unseen Latin prose (equivalent to CLC Book 2 Stage 20).
DVL of 200 words.
33% questions on Roman Civilisation or a written task (1,000–1,250 words, held under controlled conditions).
Internally assessed, externally moderated.
Guided learning hours: 120.
There were 61 entries in 2025.
Latin Language Only:
67% comprehension and translation of unseen Latin prose (equivalent to CLC Book 2 Stage 20).
33% further translation of unseen Latin prose.
Internally assessed, externally moderated.
Guided learning hours: 120.
There were 664 entries in 2025.
The WJEC Level 1 Certificate is suitable for schools with more curriculum time or students seeking a challenge before GCSE. Internally assessed, externally moderated. The inclusion of both language and civilisation options allows teachers to tailor assessment to student interests and strengths, supporting differentiated instruction.
Compared to the OCR Entry Level, the WJEC Level 1 Certificate is more challenging. Both qualifications test grammar knowledge equivalent to stage 20 of the CLC – but that only just means just touching the infinitive and the imperative and knowing adjectives as items of vocabulary rather than all the adjectival agreement stuff. I’ve seen students do well on the OCR Entry Level with virtually none of the CLC done further than Stage 12 (the 1st book), but I think the WJEC Level 1 Certificate would need a bit more.
The WJEC Level 1 Certificate is also tougher on the civilisation topic than the OCR Entry Level. It requires students to write a longer essay, under controlled conditions (that is, in the classroom rather than at home), and with topics selected from a list. You also have to clear the topic with the exam board in the year before entry.
If I wanted to give students a fillip at the end of the year, and there was a likelihood that they were not going on to take a GCSE, then I’d choose the OCR Entry Level.
4. Greek qualifications
ELEX (European Curriculum for Latin) & EGEX (European Curriculum for Greek):
Four levels: Vestibulum, Ianua, Palatium, Thesaurus (last two are under development).
Follows CEFR model; teacher-assessed and moderated.
Flexible timing—students take exams when ready. Teacher-assessed and moderated, suitable for diverse educational systems and self-paced learning.
EMACT Greek Certificate (East Midlands Association of Classical Teachers)
4 Greek levels test alphabet, roots, comprehension, grammar, syntax, and literary response.
1E: The simplest introductory test can be taught in 2 hours.
Higher qualifications: 1S (8–12 weeks), 2S (26–34 weeks), 3S (unspecified). Increasing complexity, ending with translation from unseen prose authors and response to original literature.
Internally assessed and moderated.
ICCG (Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek)
Purpose: Bridges the gap between discontinued OCR Entry Level Greek and half-GCSE.
Based on: John Taylor’s Greek to GCSE Book 1.
DVL: About 150 words.
Guided Learning Hours: 50 (likely an underestimate).
Assessment: Externally assessed; cost £18.
Grammar: Present, future, imperfect, aorist tenses (indicative only); no middle, passives, contract-verbs; 1st–3rd declensions (not duals). Present and aorist participles. Imperatives.
No civilisation or literature testing.
The exam requires students to write some short sentences in Greek (from English), and to describe and explain some simple grammar.
Both of these last two qualifications are designed for short timetables or where GCSE is not feasible. They provide a realistic challenge for students with limited time, focusing on core language skills. The IGCSE is more aligned with standard approaches to the study of Ancient Greek for those who use Taylor’s Greek to GCSE. For example, students who go on to complete a GCSE in the Sixth Form, as enrichment, will have the foundations already done.
LanguageCert – Classical Greek
Follows the CEFR model – first exams (A1) are heavily scaffolded with pictures, gap fills.
All in ancient Greek – no English comprehension or translation into English.
Four exam groups, ascending difficulty:
A1: Recognise familiar words and very basic phrases
A2: Read and understand very short, simple texts
B1: Understand the main plot of a clearly written story
B2: Understand a wide range of authentic texts
LanguageCert is Internationally recognized, suitable for formal and informal education. Its clear progression supports learners at different stages and provides external validation of achievement. The lowest level is heavily scaffolded with pictures and ranges from vocabulary matching exercises to gap-fills with the correct Greek word. The whole exam paper is in Ancient Greek because the model is one of the use of Greek rather than detailed knowledge of Greek grammar.
4. USA Exam Types: American Classical League (ACL) supports the following USA exams:
National Latin Exam (NLE). There are multiple routes through these qualifications, as can be seen in Fig. 2.
Greek exams: Introduction to Greek, Beginning Attic, Intermediate Attic, Homeric Greek (Odyssey & Iliad), Attic Greek Prose.
Civilisation & Culture exams: National Classical Etymology Exam, National Roman Civilisation Exam, National Pegasus Exam (theme: The Underworld), National Medusa Exam (theme: Game of Thrones: Olympian Edition), Exploratory Latin Exam.
Universal and Extended Sets of Latin Vocabulary (e.g., parts of the body, animals, flora and fauna, numbers, mottoes and sayings).
Scribo: Famous People of the Ancient World.
National Latin Vocabulary Exam.
National Hellenic Civilisation Exam.
US examinations are created and marked by school teachers. Numbers entering some of the NLEs are very high (tens of thousands). Because the USA does not have a national examination system in the same way as the UK, there is a huge variety of different exams to show students’ proficiency in the various fields of endeavour which are called ‘Latin’ or ‘World Languages’ or ‘World Studies’ and so on.
These examinations have no national curricular value, but show achievement and can be used for students who wish to prove their attainment for future study. Medals are awarded for special achievement, including bronze, silver and gold.
At the CPD event, I was asked by home schoolers whether their children could take the WJEC exams, say, at home. The answer is no. The OCR Entry Level and WJEC Level 1 Certificates are held to national standards. Therefore, entries must be through an accredited examination centre, usually a school. The recommendation form the exam boards is that home schoolers need to approach local schools for their children to sit their exams alongside the others.
Below is a bibliography of articles which refer to some of the examinations and a webography for the exam boards / qualifications themselves.
Bibliography
Bulwer, J. (2025). ELEX and EGEX: Euroclassica Certificates in Latin and Greek. Journal of Classics Teaching, 26(51):112-113.
Hunt, S. (2020). Introducing Latin. Non-specialist Latin teachers talk. Journal of Classics Teaching, 21(42):36-42.
Le Hur, C. (2022). A New Classical Greek Qualification. Journal of Classics Teaching, 23(45):79-80.
Manolidou, E. and Goula, S. (2024). In Greek we trust! Παίζοντες μανθάνομεν. Journal of Classics Teaching, 25(49):56-59.
McPherson, L. (2017). An Appropriate Stepping Stone? A case study into student and teacher perceptions of the value of the WJEC Level 1 Certificate in Latin. Journal of Classics Teaching, 18(35):1-12.
Webography
Cambridge Latin Course UK 4th edition
Euroclassica: EGEX and ELEX
East Midlands Association of Classical Teachers: EMACT Greek Certificate
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