School pupils will be receiving their GCSE results today, with their grades ranging from 9-1.
Back in the day, GCSEs were graded using a letters-based system: A* to G. A* was the highest result possible, C was an average score, while G was the lowest grade.
However, things are different now, following the introduction of a numerical grading system.
So, what do these GCSE grades mean? Here, we explain it all, including the different grade boundaries.
In a nutshell: 9 is the highest grade you can get, and 1 is the lowest. These grades are comparable to the old letter system:
So, if you’re hoping for that hard-earned A or A*, you’re looking for a 7, 8 or 9 on your results slip.
Fewer students will receive a grade 9 than would have received an A* under the old grading system, however.
This is because part of the reason for introducing a new grading system was to allow more differentiation among the brightest students.
Many sixth forms insist on a minimum number of 5s or 6s as a condition of entry for further study, while the government’s school league tables are based on the percentage of pupils who achieve a 5 or above in English and Maths GCSEs.
Meanwhile, the U (which stands for ‘ungraded’) is still included, and means that a student has failed to meet the minimum requirements to be given a pass at any grade.
Currently, this is just the grading system for England. Wales and Northern Ireland uses the A* to G grading system, while Scotland uses grades A, B, C and D in its GCSE-equivalent qualification, the National 5.
The 9-1 system for GCSE grading first came into effect in 2017.
Initially, this was just for English Language, English Literature and Maths GCSEs, before being rolled out to a wider range of courses in 2018.
These included Art and Design, Biology, Chemistry, Drama, French, Geography, German, History, Spanish, Physical Education and Physics.
In 2019, even more GCSEs took on the new system, and by 2020 all subjects were using numerical grades.
The 9-1 grades came as part of a wider reform of exams, which saw a complete overhaul of the content and structure of GCSEs.
Education reforms in England began in 2011, led by then-Education Secretary Michael Gove. A review of the national curriculum was announced first, with the overhaul of GCSEs starting in 2013.
In 2014, Mr Gove said the new tougher GCSE courses ‘set higher expectations’.
Indeed, an Ofqual blog reads: ‘GCSEs in England have been reformed to keep pace with universities’ and employers’ demands.
‘They are based on new and more demanding subject content but are still suitable for the same wide range of abilities. The new grade scale makes it clear to everyone that students have studied the new GCSEs.
‘It also has more higher grades compared to the old A* to G grades, to give sixth forms, colleges, universities and employers the opportunity to better distinguish between students of different abilities.’
Newer courses feature much less coursework than old GCSE qualifications.
Meanwhile, modular courses, which saw pupils sit papers throughout their studies, have also been scrapped in favour of ‘linear’ GCSEs – in which pupils take all of their exams at the end of the two-year course.
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