What is GCSE？

General Certificate of Secondary Education, the qualifications that 15 and 16 year olds in the UK take at the end of Year 11. GCSE Japanese is roughly the same level as JLPT N5.

When is the exam？

Summer every year

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Summer 2025

• Speaking Exam Period: 9 April –14 May

• Listening and Reading Test: Monday 2 June Afternoon

• WritingTest: Thursday 10 June Morning

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Please visit Pearson Edexcel's official website and double-check.

GCSE Key information

• ​Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing tests 

• The level and topics are the same as other MFLs taught in schools

• Foundation Tier (1-5) and Higher Tier (1-9)

• 120 guided lesson hours + Revision​

Administrative details

• GCSE Japanese Information and FAQ

How to communicate with your school about the exam, a rough timeline for the administrative procedures, how to find a speaking examiner so on.

Study plan examples

• 2 hrs/week x 3 years - Foundation Tier

• 3 hrs/week x 3-4 years - Higher Tier

It includes lesson time for those taking private tuition. If you are taught at school, you have roughly 300 study hours including lessons, homework and revision time.​​​

Is it worth taking GCSE Japanese?

It really just depends on whether you want to have the exam on your record. GCSE Japanese can be a great goal, but studying without taking the exam is also totally fine! You can focus on what you want to learn. Whichever path you choose, your passion for learning Japanese will lead you to a great future.

GCSE vs JLPT

• ​JLPT does not require output skills such as speaking and writing.

• JLPT is useful if you want to work using Japanese language skills or study in Japan.

• JLPT N5 requires more grammar than GCSE.

• GCSE Foundation is the halfway point of JLPT N5 and those who reach GCSE Higher can progress immediately to JLPT N5 or N4. 

• GCSE listening test is easier than JLPT N5.

• Kanji for GCSE Higher is 200, Foundation is 76. Kanji for N5 is around 100 and N4 is 350.

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Normally I wouldn't recommend the JLPT to teenagers because the vocabulary is more for 18+. Learning general Japanese is more beneficial than preparing for the JLPT exam until then, in my opinion. JLPT is flexible in terms of the timing. You can try whenever you are fully ready in the future.