Syllabus · What you actually learn
The provider does not choose the syllabus. The CAA does.
This is the page that makes the price tables mean something. A £449 GVC and a £1,196 GVC are examined against the same five subjects, because the syllabus is set in regulation rather than by the seller. What you are paying more or less for is teaching, not content.
Why this matters. Every training provider describes its own course in its own words, which makes comparing them feel impossible. It isn't. The examinable content is fixed. Once you know what has to be covered, a course description tells you only how well it is taught — which is a much easier thing to judge.
GVC and RPC-L1 — the five subjects
The theoretical knowledge examination for the General VLOS Certificate covers five subject areas. The Level 1 Remote Pilot Certificate replacing it examines the same five, which is worth knowing if you are weighing up the transition.
| Subject | In practice this means | In the GVC? | In RPC-L1? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air law | Airspace classification, restrictions and permissions, the rules your Operational Authorisation sits inside | Yes | Yes |
| Aircraft general knowledge | How the aircraft works, its systems and limitations, what its performance figures actually constrain | Yes | Yes |
| Human performance | Attention, workload, fatigue and the decision-making failures that cause most incidents | Yes | Yes |
| Meteorology | Reading conditions, forecasts, and knowing what wind and visibility do to a flight you have already planned | Yes | Yes |
| Operational procedures | Planning, site assessment, checklists, emergencies, and the discipline your operations manual is built from | Yes | Yes |
The practical assessment
GVC skills test
Covers pre-flight, in-flight procedures and post-flight actions. This is the part that cannot be done from a laptop, and it is why the cheapest online listings often quote a price that stops short of it.
RPC-L1 skills test
Specified as a general handling examination of at least thirty minutes, across multiple flight modes. A firmer minimum than the GVC's, and worth asking about when comparing courses.
What is not fixed. The number of exam questions, the time allowed and the pass mark for the GVC are set out in CAA documents we could not read directly — see the verification table. Any provider quoting you those figures should be able to say which document they come from.
A2 CofC — the three subjects, and the two steps people miss
The A2 Certificate of Competency sits in the Open category and its requirements are set out in regulation rather than guidance, which makes them unusually easy to pin down. The additional theoretical knowledge examination covers three subjects.
| Subject | In practice this means |
|---|---|
| Meteorology | Conditions and forecasting, as for the GVC but at a lighter depth |
| UAS flight performance | What your aircraft can and cannot do, and how that limits where you may fly near people |
| Technical and operational mitigations for ground risk | How you reduce the risk to people on the ground — the whole point of the A2 subcategory |
The A2 is three things, not one. The regulation requires all of the following before the certificate is issued: complete the online training and theoretical examination referred to at UAS.OPEN.020 — the free test most people know as the Flyer ID; carry out self-practical training in the conditions of the A3 subcategory; then pass the additional theoretical knowledge examination above. A course selling you only the third step is selling you a third of the requirement, and that is a fair question to put to a provider quoting £97.
- Exam format
- Multiple choice
- Questions
- At least 30
- Pass mark
- 75%
- Set by
- UAS.OPEN.030, retained Regulation (EU) 2019/947
- Issued by
- The CAA, or an entity it has designated
What each qualification adds over the one below
| Step | Cost | Subjects examined | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyer ID | Free | Online training package set in regulation | The legal baseline for flying at all |
| A2 CofC | £97–£450 | Meteorology · UAS flight performance · ground risk mitigations | Flying closer to uninvolved people in the Open category |
| GVC or RPC-L1 | £449–£1,196 | Air law · aircraft general knowledge · human performance · meteorology · operational procedures | Specific category operations, plus a practical skills test |
| RPC-L2 and L3 | Not yet surveyed | Built on RPC-L1 | BVLOS operations, with hours and medical requirements |
Price ranges are the published spread across CAA-approved providers as shown on our A2 CofC and GVC pages. No link on this site is paid or affiliate, and no seller can buy a position in any table.
Where every claim on this page came from
| Claim | Value | Primary source | Checked | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A2 CofC exam subjects | 3 subjects | UAS.OPEN.030, retained Regulation (EU) 2019/947, legislation.gov.uk | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 pass mark and question count | 75% · 30+ | UAS.OPEN.030, as above | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| A2 requires Flyer ID plus self-practical training in A3 conditions | Three steps | UAS.OPEN.030, as above | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| GVC and RPC-L1 five subjects | 5 subjects | CAA AMC1 Article 8(2) Remote Pilot Competence, published by the CAA and marked OFFICIAL – Public. Undated, and the in-force AMC sits behind the CAA regulatory library login. | 9 Sep 2026 | Confirm by hand |
| GVC skills test structure | Pre-flight, in-flight, post-flight | CAA AMC1 Article 8(2), as above | 9 Sep 2026 | Confirm by hand |
| RPC-L1 skills test minimum 30 minutes | 30 min | CAA AMC1 Article 8(2), as above | 9 Sep 2026 | Confirm by hand |
| GVC exam question count, time allowed and pass mark | — | Not stated in the documents we could read; CAP 722B points to CAA templates CAP 3252, CAP 3253 and CAP 3288 | — | Not yet checked |
| RPC-L2 and L3 course prices | — | No provider survey done yet | — | Not yet checked |
Questions people ask
Is a cheap GVC course worse than an expensive one?
It covers the same five examinable subjects, because the CAA sets them. What differs is how it is taught, how much instructor contact you get, and whether the flight assessment and operations manual support are included in the price rather than added later.
What subjects does the A2 CofC exam cover?
Meteorology, UAS flight performance, and technical and operational mitigations for ground risk. At least 30 multiple-choice questions with a 75% pass mark.
Do I need the Flyer ID before an A2 CofC?
Yes. The regulation requires the online training and test at UAS.OPEN.020 as one of three components, alongside self-practical training in A3 conditions and the additional theory exam.
Does the GVC syllabus change when RPC-L1 replaces it?
The five theoretical subjects are the same. The practical assessment is specified differently — RPC-L1 sets a minimum thirty-minute general handling test across multiple flight modes.
We will tell you when this changes
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