Grade 2 is the equivalent of between grades E and F. Grade 1 is the equivalent of between grades F and G. These ratings correspond to the old GCSE D, E, F and G ratings. Grade 3 is somewhere between a D and an E, while grade 2 is somewhere between an E and an F.
A grade 1 is similar to an old G grade, and a U grade still refers to a test that has been “ungraded”; it simply did not score enough to enter the scale. The 9-1 grading program has been incorporated together with a new GCSE curriculum in England. The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic degree in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate.
Private schools in Scotland can choose to use an alternative grade. These reforms do not apply directly to Wales and Northern Ireland, where GCSEs will continue to be available in the A*-G rating system. However, due to legislative requirements for comparability between GCSEs in the three countries, and the allocations for certain subjects and qualifications to be available in Wales and Northern Ireland, grades of 9 to 1 will be available, and the other changes are mainly adopted in these countries as well. Examination boards operate under the supervision of Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) in England, Qualifications Wales in Wales and CCEA in Northern Ireland.
In England, AQA, OCR and Pearson operate under their respective brands. In addition, the WJEC operates the Eduqas brand, which develops qualifications in England. CCEA ratings are not available in England. In Wales, the WJEC is the only accredited GCSE awarding body in the public sector and therefore no other board formally operates in Wales.
However, some English board grades are available as designated grades in some circumstances, because they are not available in the WJEC. In England, these results then inform the rankings released in the following academic year, with key performance metrics for each school. England, Wales & Northern Ireland GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are part of the Regulated Qualifications Framework. A GCSE in grades G, F, E, D, 1, 2, or 3 is a Level 1 grade.
A GCSE in C, B, A, A*, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 is a Level 2 rating. Grades are not awarded for grades U, X, or Q. Level 2 qualifications are much more in demand and generally form minimum requirements for jobs and expectations for further study. Reformed GCSE grades will be awarded on a rating scale from 9 (highest grade) to 1 (lowest).
The decision to appeal a GCSE score should always be made in conjunction with the school; they will have information on how close the results were to a grade cap. In Science, for example, there are now fewer course options than before, and most students take the new Combined Science course (worth two GCSEs) or three separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The UK government has developed a list of preferred subjects known as the English Baccalaureate and the Progress 8 benchmark is calculated on the results of eight GCSEs, including English, Mathematics and Science. We have made it clear that the new grades 9-1 will align with the old grades of A* to G, so that, in general, a student who had previously earned a grade C would achieve grade 4 in the new grades.
However, the state school my children attend is applying for fifth grade in Math and English to stay on Sixth Form. For example, limits in grades 5 and 6 will be set based on the difference in grades between grades 4 and 7; grade 5 will be set at one-third of the difference in grades and grade 6 will be set at two-thirds of the difference in grades. The table below shows how the new GCSE ratings compare to the old ones; although the DfE clearly points out that each score cannot be compared directly, there are places where they can be aligned. The exact grades students take vary from school to school and from student to student, but schools are encouraged to offer at least one pathway leading to qualification for the Baccalaureate in English, which requires GCSEs in English language, English literature, mathematics, science (including computer science), a modern or ancient language, and either history or geography.
GCSE courses now include much less coursework than before, with grades in almost every subject based on exams. These two levels roughly correspond, respectively, to the base and the top level in tiered GCSE ratings. The CSE broadly covered grades C-G or 4-1 of the GCSE, and the O-Level covered grades A*-C or 9—4, but both were independent grades, with different grading systems. The GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) is the main academic qualification taken in several subjects by the vast majority of secondary education students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In entry-level work, the student can earn a maximum grade of C, while in a higher-level job, he can achieve a minimum grade of D.
