An overview of what you need to know about this year’s GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams.
The exam period for GCSEs in the UK has begun (5th May) and will continue until Wednesday 25th June. The dates of exams vary across the different exam boards: AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, Eduqas, OCR and WJEC. BBC Bitesize has published the GCSE exam timetable (but this may be subject to change, so it recommends checking the individual exam board’s websites for any updates).
Grades
The grading systems differ in the different countries of the United Kingdom. Grade boundaries are decided by examiners each year and are published on results day to clarify for students what the lowest mark they could get to achieve a particular grade was. 1
England
GCSEs are graded from 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest) with U for ungraded.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has 9 possible grades from A* to G (including a C*) – there is also U for ungraded, X for incomplete results and Q for query
Wales
Wales has grading A* to G (not including C*)
Scotland
Rather than GCSEs, Scotland uses Nationals. These qualifications have various levels. National 2, 3 and 4 are not graded, these can either be passed or failed – and National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher are graded A-D.
Results day
Regardless of when a student in England, Wales or Northern Ireland sits their GCSE papers, the results are all released on the same day: Thursday 21st August. For students in Scotland, their results day is on Tuesday 5th August. Students can collect their results from their school, unless their school opts to send results digitally or by post. The time students can collect their results will vary depending on the school. If a student can’t collect their results in person, they can arrange for their school to email or post them. It is also possible for someone else to collect the results on a student’s behalf but they will need to bring photo ID and sign a letter. 2
GCSE certificates
You do not collect your certificates on results day; it will instead be a list of the grades received for each subject. Students usually receive their GCSE certificates about three months after results day (around November). Schools must hold these for 12 months, so there is no rush for students to pick them up as soon as they arrive! These certificates might be needed for evidence of achievements for universities/employers, so they should be kept safe. 2
Failures and appeals
Any GCSE exam can be resat the following school year, with resists for maths and English (mandatory subjects) taking place from 5th November. Students can speak to their school about resitting GCSEs. Students can appeal grades they think are incorrect. The BBC explains the steps for appealing a grade:
“If you do not think your grade is right, you should first talk to your school or college. It will contact the exam board on your behalf and ask for your marks to be reviewed. If you still think you have been unfairly graded after a review, you can ask your school or college to appeal. The exam board will consider whether a correction is needed. If you are still not satisfied, you can request a review from regulator, Ofqual.” 3
GCSE result aren’t everything
While GCSEs can be helpful for securing higher education, apprenticeships or employment opportunities, they are not the only measure of success. There are many ways to still achieve your goals and there are also opportunities to resit exams, as mentioned.
We would like to wish all students taking their GCSEs this year the best of luck! We hope you get the results you want but please know that, if you don’t, you can still be proud of the effort you made.
