New grading for GCSEs

GCSEs in England are in the process of being reformed and, as we like to keep you updated on developments in British education, this is our short guide to the changes and their chronology.

The first thing to note is that the exams will be graded on a new scale from 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest grade. English Language, English Literature and Maths will become the first subjects to be graded from 9 to 1, starting in 2017. Another 20 subjects will have 9 to 1 grading in 2018, with most others following in 2019. During this transition, students will receive a mixture of letter and number grades.

Other changes of note are that new GCSE content will be more challenging and fewer grade 9s will be awarded than A*s. The new grades are intended to signal that GCSEs have been reformed and to better differentiate between students of different abilities. In the first year each new GCSE subject is introduced, broadly the same proportion of students will attain a grade 4 or above as would have been awarded a grade C or above in the old system.

Finally, in GCSE English Language, spoken language will not form part of the 9 to 1 GCSE grade but will have its own grade (pass/merit/distinction).

You can see how the 9 to 1 grades compare with the existing A* to G scale in the infographic above.

If you have any questions about the GCSE reforms or would like further information about any of the exams offered by the British boarding schools we recommend, please do contact us.