GCSE results day is tomorrow and thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be heading to school to collect their results. In England, GCSEs are graded using a numerical system from 9 to 1, previously an A-to-U letter system was used.
Grading Systems Across the UK
Exams are graded differently in Wales and Northern Ireland, who still use a letter system. Students in Scotland take Nationals instead of GCSEs. The grade changes started with English language, English literature and maths in 2017, followed by more subjects last year.
By 2020, all GCSEs were graded from 9-1. The government said the new grading system is a better way to differentiate between students of different abilities. Grades 9, 8 and 7 are broadly equivalent to an A* and an A.
Numerical Grade Equivalents
Grades 6, 5 and 4 are in line with B and C grades. A grade 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade. A 3 would be similar to a D grade, with 2 and 1 similar to grades E, F and G. The numerical grading scheme was introduced as part of a 2014 curriculum overhaul by then-Conservative Education Secretary, Michael Gove.
Grade boundaries are decided by examiners each year, with exam boards publishing grade boundaries on results day.
Collecting Results and Next Steps
The results will be made available to schools on Wednesday and available to pick up from your school by 8am on Thursday morning. Schools will issue their own instructions on how and when to collect your results.
Students in England will be able to receive their results through the Education Record app, which allows grades to be delivered directly to their phones from 11am.
Advice shared by the government for people who may not receive the results they wanted, said: "If your results weren't what you were expecting, firstly don't panic. You have options.
"First things first, speak to your school or college – they could be flexible on entry requirements if you've just missed your grades.
"They'll also be able to give you the best tailored advice on whether re-sitting while studying for your next qualifications is a possibility.
"You can enter to resit all GCSE subjects, and you can also take autumn exams in GCSE English language and maths. You should speak to your sixth form or college to decide when it's the best time for you to resit a GCSE exam."
