Edexcel IAL Exam Sessions

January & June
exam series

Edexcel IAL offers two exam windows per year, giving international students the flexibility to spread their units across multiple sessions. Here is everything you need to know about the January and June exam series for IAL Economics and Business.

How it works

The modular advantage

Unlike the UK domestic A-Level where all exams are sat in June, IAL is modular. You choose which units to sit in each session. This means you can take Units 1 and 2 (AS) in January and Units 3 and 4 (A2) in June — or complete everything in one session.

January exam series
Typically mid-January. Results released in March. Popular for sitting AS units (Units 1 & 2) early, giving students more time to focus on A2 content for June. Also used for retakes.
June exam series
Late May to mid-June. Results released in August. The main exam session — most students sit their A2 units (Units 3 & 4) here, and many complete all units in this session.
R papers (time zone variants)
IAL uses R papers (Reserve papers) as alternative versions for different time zones. Students in East Asia may sit the R paper while those in the Middle East sit the standard paper. Content and difficulty are equivalent.
Retake flexibility
You can retake individual units without retaking the entire qualification. Your best result counts towards your final grade. This makes IAL ideal for students aiming for A* grades.
Upcoming sessions

Start revising for your next exam

June 2026 →
Revision guide and preparation for the June 2026 IAL exam session.
January 2027 →
Get ahead with early preparation for the January 2027 session.

Ready to start revising?

Free notes for every IAL spec point. Choose your subject and start today.

Economics →Business →