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This page has been designed to make our services easy for the Department for Education to use and to provide you with useful information and help. We also want to keep you update with our latest news.
On behalf of the Department for Education, Parcelforce Worldwide provides a secure collection and delivery service for unmarked exam scripts, externally marked coursework and language CDs or memory sticks for general qualifications, externally assessed Diploma principal learning and functional skills qualifications.
Dispatch of exam scripts guide
Discover information for exams officers about using the Parcelforce Worldwide yellow label service to dispatch exam scripts for general qualifications. Here you’ll find a Yellow Label Service guide, a list of qualifications included in the service and detailed information about how to pack, label and dispatch exam scripts to ensure smooth running of the service.
For Information; script collections for the 2026 summer series examinations
Between April and July, your centre will have exam sittings for qualifications within the scope of the Department for Education's 'yellow label' script collection service.
The Joint Council for Qualifications’ common examinations timetable for summer 2026 runs from Thursday 7 May until Tuesday 23 June.
If you have at least 3 days of exam sittings in any week during the timetabled exam season, Parcelforce will contact you between March and April to arrange a daily collection slot, starting from the date of your first exam until the day after your last sitting.
Ad hoc collections for summer examinations (April-June) and On Demand Functional Skills (April-July) - temporary process
Centres with sittings in April and/or July, or who do not qualify for scheduled collections, would usually arrange collections through either the online collection booking system or the Parcelforce exams helpdesk.
CHANGE: The online collection booking system will not be available and you do not need to book collections through the exams helpdesk. Instead, Parcelforce will attend your centre on the next working day following each exam sitting, noting that:
- Parcelforce will arrive between 09:00 and 16:00
- Tuesday 5 May is the next working day for sittings on the Friday before the May-day bank holiday
- Tuesday 26 May is the next working day for sittings on the Friday before the May half-term. Parcelforce will then return on the Monday 2 June
- Parcelforce can collect on any day during the half-term break. These collections can be arranged by calling the Parcelforce exams helpdesk on 0344 561 7998
Arrange a redelivery
We’ll deliver your exam scripts to the address you provided to your awarding body. If you’re not in, we’ll leave a card explaining that we called and then take the parcel back to the local Parcelforce Worldwide depot to be held securely. If we’re unable to deliver, we will keep the package safe at our depot for 16 days before returning it to the relevant Awarding Body.
We will automatically attempt to redeliver to the same address the following day, including Saturday. Please note, if a redelivery on a Saturday is required, please call us on 0344 561 7998. You can also rearrange a delivery to a different address, authorised by you.
Useful information
For Information; script collections for the 2026 summer series examinations - Collection arrangements
The Awarding Organisations are working to align their IT systems with new Parcelforce systems by the end of July 2026.
There will be temporary collection arrangements in place from April to July 2026 before reverting to the standard arrangements from August 2026.
CHANGE: For summer 2026 (April-June), scheduled collections will cover April as well as May and June. This includes centres administering Functional Skills.
Parcelforce will arrange daily collection slots with centres that have exam sittings on 3 or more days in any week in April and during the JCQ’s timetabled summer exam series (May to June).
Ad hoc collections for summer examinations (April-June) and On Demand Functional Skills (April-July) - temporary process
Centres with sittings in April and/or July, or who do not qualify for scheduled collections, would usually arrange collections through either the online collection booking system or the Parcelforce exams helpdesk.
CHANGE: The online collection booking system will not be available and centres do not need to book collections through the exams helpdesk. Instead, Parcelforce will attend each centre on the next working day following each exam sitting, noting that:
- Parcelforce will attend between 09:00 and 16:00
- Tuesday 5 May is the next working day for sittings on the Friday before the May-day bank holiday
- Tuesday 26 May is the next working day for sittings on the Friday before the May half-term. Parcelforce will then return on the Monday 2 June
- Parcelforce can collect on any day during the half-term break. These collections can be arranged by calling the Parcelforce exams helpdesk on 0344 561 7998
For Information; script collections for the 2026 summer series examinations
Between April and July, your centre will have exam sittings for qualifications within the scope of the Department for Education's 'yellow label' script collection service.
1. Script collections
Parcelforce will arrange daily collection slots with centres that have exam sittings on 3 or more days in any week in April and during the JCQ’s timetabled summer exam series (May to June).
Ad hoc collections for summer examinations (April-June) and On Demand Functional Skills (April-July) - temporary process
Centres with sittings in April and/or July, or who do not qualify for scheduled collections, would usually arrange collections through either the online collection booking system or the Parcelforce exams helpdesk.
CHANGE: The online collection booking system will not be available and centres do not need to book collections through the exams helpdesk. Instead, Parcelforce will attend each centre on the next working day following each exam sitting, noting that:
- Parcelforce will attend between 09:00 and 16:00
- Tuesday 5 May is the next working day for sittings on the Friday before the May-day bank holiday
- Tuesday 26 May is the next working day for sittings on the Friday before the May half-term. Parcelforce will then return on the Monday 2 June
- Parcelforce can collect on any day during the half-term break. These collections can be arranged by calling the Parcelforce exams helpdesk on 0344 561 7998
Websites:
AQA - www.aqa.org.uk
DfE - www.education.gov.uk/yellowlabel
Pearson - www.pearson.com
OCR - www.ocr.org.uk
WJEC - www.wjec.co.uk
NCFE - www.ncfe.org.uk
Email addresses and phone numbers:
AQA - call 0800 197 7162. Email - examinerlabels@aqa.org.uk
Cambridge International - call 01223 553554. Email - info@cambridgeinternational.org
OCR & Cambridge Technical - call 01223 553998. Email - general.qualifications@ocr.org.uk
Pearson - call 0344 463 2535. Email - examsofficers@pearson.com
WJEC - call 0292 026 5077. Email - yellowlabels@wjec.co.uk
NCFE - call 0191 239 8000. Email - assessmentdelivery@ncfe.org.uk
Parcelforce Worldwide Examinations Helpdesk - call 0344 561 7998, Email - examcollection@parcelforce.co.uk
DfE - General customer queries should be made via assessments@education.gov.uk or by phoning 0300 303 3013
Your feedback enables us to make continuing improvements to the service you receive. Please remember to complete the DfE online feedback surveys when they are emailed to you.
You can also provide feedback at any time by contacting DfE or Parcelforce using the details below:
DfE - General customer queries should be made via form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact-the-Department-for-Education or by phoning 0370 000 2288
Parcelforce Worldwide Examinations Helpdesk: 0344 561 7998
Arrange online
Sorry we missed you...
We will deliver your exam scripts to the address you provided to your awarding body. If you are not in, we will leave a card explaining that we have called and then take the parcel back to the local Parcelforce Worldwide depot to be held securely. We will automatically attempt to redeliver to the same address the following day, including Saturday.
We will:
- arrange a redelivery to the same address, Monday to Saturday. Visit our redelivery pages to arrange this. Please note, if a redelivery on a Saturday is required, please call us on 0344 561 7998.
- hold the parcel for you to collect from the local depot. Visit our redelivery pages to arrange to collect your parcel.
- If we are unable to deliver, we will keep the package safe at our depot for 18 days before returning it to the relevant Awarding Body.
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