The Geological Society remains committed to supporting the geoscience education pipeline. To help with this, we heard from secondary teachers across England and Wales to better understand their concerns and how to address them. We mapped out what we heard here.
Following Cambridge OCR’s announcement that it will withdraw AS and A level geology qualifications from 2027 onwards, we held a focus group for secondary school teachers in June to hear how this change will impact them. We invited representatives from WJEC/Eduqas and Cambridge OCR, the two largest exam boards in the UK, and the Earth Science Teachers Association (ESTA), to hear firsthand from teachers about how they are being affected and to explore what support could be offered to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Common concerns raised by teachers included the level of support they would receive during the transition and uncertainty about the future. Teachers highlighted that the impacts of this curriculum change require input and support from multiple stakeholders.
Twenty-seven education centres offering A or AS level Geology in England and Wales face a choice: switch to the WJEC/Eduqas specification or cease offering geology and close their departments. Centres making the switch are essential to preserving access to geology education, helping to maintain opportunities for exposure to the subject at secondary level and to strengthen the pipeline into further education, higher education and the UK's future workforce.
Access to secondary school geology courses is already limited, and centres are not distributed evenly nationwide. Closures triggered by this choice could have a further detrimental effect on pupils’ equity of access to pursuing geoscience.
Understanding and mapping the differences between specifications
For teachers faced with switching exam boards, we heard concerns about understanding how the subject specification differs from board to board. Teachers familiar with both noted that the subject content is broadly similar overall, but the order, grouping and emphasis of certain themes vary. To adapt schemes of work, teachers need to understand these similarities and differences.
One teacher, who took the earliest opportunity to begin the switching process, has done a large volume of work to map the Cambridge OCR specification onto the WJEC/Eduqas one. This work will be shared widely with teachers, helping those facing the switch to adapt their schemes of work and teaching schedules. Understanding how existing lessons, resources, workshops and practicals can be used between specifications will help minimise the workload involved in switching.
Teachers' first chance to access these resources will be at a dedicated in-person conference session led by Richard Campbell and Sydney Jones-Jackson at the ESTA Annual Conference, taking place on 11-13 September 2026. Following this session, the Geological Society intends to work with ESTA to make sure affected teachers can access these resources remotely. Cambridge OCR have also committed to sharing these resources as part of their ‘switcher guide’.
‘New Spec, No Stress’: Switching to the Eduqas Geology Specification
Saturday 12th September, ESTA Annual Conference, University of Leeds
An engaging session designed specifically to support teachers transitioning from the OCR Geology specification to the WJEC Eduqas A Level Geology course. This session will provide a clear overview of the WJEC Eduqas structure, content, and assessment approach, highlighting key differences and opportunities so you can be confident when adapting your current schemes of work.
More information about the annual conference is available via the ESTA website.
Evolving, adapting and developing new schemes of work and assessment strategies
The type and structure of assessments within the WJEC/Eduqas specification differ from those of Cambridge OCR. Teachers shared concerns about being prepared to support students to perform well under new assessment models.
Teachers who make the switch will need to evolve and adapt their teaching to meet the needs of the alternate specification. We heard concerns about when this work will take place alongside an already busy teaching and assessment schedule. Teachers noted that they feel particularly under pressure to continue provision as normal, familiarise themselves with the new specification, and support students across both, with that pressure increasing as the switching deadline approaches.
We heard that while some schools are able to offer enhanced support to teachers with transition workloads, others cannot, highlighting an inconsistent level of support from school to school. Without time and allowances to adapt, teachers and students face uncertainty, and possibly a reduction in teaching quality. This short-term uncertainty could cause longer-term impacts on subject enrolment, which may be hard for institutions to recover from.
The Geological Society urges affected education centres to consider what accommodations and support they can offer teachers facing the switch, in order to preserve quality of, and access to, geology education in secondary schools nationwide. We intend to work closely with WJEC/Eduqas and teachers to promote the distribution and availability of relevant teaching resources, schemes of work and timetabling advice.
We also explored the differences in practical requirements between the two specifications, with teachers noting they would appreciate support from the examination boards to better understand the requirements and necessary changes. In response, WJEC/Eduqas is hosting a webinar for teachers on the elements of their practical endorsement on Thursday 1st of October.
Eduqas AL Geology: Practical Endorsement Update & Q&A for new centres
Thursday 1st October 2026, Online, 16:00 – 17:30
This online course is designed for practitioners teaching, or due to be moving over to the Eduqas A Level Geology qualification. The session will review the features of candidate work which is being undertaken for the Eduqas A level Geology practical endorsement and offer guidance and suggestions to give teachers an outline of best practice in this area.
More information and tickets available via their website.
Resources to support the teaching of secondary school geology
Teachers consistently highlighted the need for a textbook aligned with the WJEC/Eduqas specification. Textbooks are vital for independent study, invaluable in guiding the depth of teaching required, and help to guide and pace teachers. No textbook for the subject currently exists, and this was noted as one of the most notable challenges for teachers looking to switch.
The Cambridge OCR textbook, widely liked by teachers and students, is out of print and with no plans for a reprint. It was originally published by Illuminate Publishing, which was acquired by Hodder Education, part of Hachette, a few years ago. Cambridge OCR is in discussions with the publisher to try and encourage them to make a digital version available, since a number of teachers have said it would still be useful for schools following the Eduqas course.
The Geological Society produces a range of curriculum-linked digital and physical resources, free for teachers to use to support their teaching of any geoscience specification. Our education team is available to discuss teacher resource needs throughout the year and would be pleased to hear from teachers with feedback or requests.
The Geological Society remains committed to supporting teachers and to providing curriculum-linked, scientifically reviewed, impartial and high-quality resources to help teachers confidently teach the subject. We will continue to work alongside WJEC/Eduqas, Cambridge OCR and ESTA on next steps to make sure teachers feel supported during this crucial time.
