What Is a Pre-Public Examination (PPE)? A Guide for UK Secondary School Parents

How is a PPE different from a standard mock exam?

The terms mock exam and PPE are sometimes used interchangeably, but in practice a PPE refers specifically to a set of exams conducted under conditions that replicate public examinations as closely as possible:

A PPE therefore provides a more realistic rehearsal of the public exam experience than an ordinary classroom test.

When do PPEs typically happen?

Most secondary schools run PPEs at two points in the academic year:

Year 11 (GCSE):

• November PPE — the main pre-Christmas mock series, usually spanning two to three weeks
• March or April PPE — a second series for Year 11 pupils, closer to the actual May/June exams

Year 13 (A-level):

• November or December PPE — ahead of any January coursework deadlines and university conditional offers
• March PPE — for final A-level preparation

Not all schools run two full series; some run one PPE and supplement it with class-based assessments. Year 10 and Year 12 pupils may also sit PPEs in some schools, though they are less universally used in these years.

How do schools use PPE results?

PPE results serve multiple practical purposes:

• Predicted grades for sixth-form applications — schools typically use November Year 11 PPE results as the basis for the predicted grades they submit to sixth forms considering applications from their pupils
• Teacher-assessed grades as a safety net — in previous years when public exams were cancelled or disrupted, PPE results formed a key part of the evidence base for centre-assessed grades
• Revision priority mapping — teachers identify which topics pupils are consistently losing marks on and focus remaining teaching time accordingly
• Setting or group changes — some schools use PPE results to move pupils between teaching groups before the final exam push
• Early-entry decisions — for certain subjects where early entry is permitted, PPE results may inform whether a pupil is entered in the January or summer series

How should pupils prepare for a PPE?

A PPE is most useful when treated seriously — not as casually as an informal class test, but without the full anxiety of the real exam. Effective preparation:

• Use past papers under timed conditions — the most evidence-based revision method for exam preparation
• Prioritise gaps identified in the previous PPE or teacher feedback
• Practise the full paper length — many pupils underperform in PPEs because they have never sat a full two- or three-hour paper before
• Check access arrangements are in place — if your child has extra time or rest breaks in real exams, confirm with the school that these are applied to the PPE too

What should parents do with PPE results?

When PPE results come home:

Frequently asked questions

Do PPE results go on my child's official record?

No. PPE results are internal school data and are not reported to any external body. They do not appear on any public certificate. Their significance is practical — they inform teaching decisions and predicted grades — rather than formal.

Can my child miss a PPE and sit it another time?

In most schools, a PPE that is missed through illness can be sat at a later date, subject to the school's discretion and timetabling. However, because PPEs often feed predicted grades and are scheduled to coordinate across year groups, catch-up sittings may not always be in full exam conditions. Notify the school promptly if your child is ill.

How seriously should we take a poor PPE result in November of Year 11?

Seriously enough to act on, but not as a predictor of final results. Many pupils underperform significantly in the first PPE and go on to achieve markedly better grades in the real exam. The PPE is most useful as a diagnostic tool rather than a verdict. The response to a poor result — identifying what went wrong and addressing it — matters far more than the result itself.

What if my child's predicted grade based on the PPE seems wrong?

Predicted grades are professional judgements, not scientific certainties. If you believe your child's PPE performance did not reflect their true ability — for example, because they were unwell, had a specific exam anxiety episode, or made a technical error rather than a content gap — raise this with the subject teacher and ask for the predicted grade to be reconsidered. Provide specific evidence rather than a general impression.

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