New GCSE Grading
By 2017 students will have studied new GCSEs in most of their subjects. These will be graded with numbers instead of letters. The new GCSE will also be split into nine grades instead of eight. The higher number the better the performance of the student.
This is how the new numbered grades compare with the previous letters for GCSE:
- Broadly the same proportion of students will achieve a grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above
- Broadly the same proportion of students will achieve a grade 7 and above as currently achieve an A and above
- For each examination, the top 20 per cent of those who get grade 7 or above will get a grade 9 - the very highest performers
- The bottom of grade 1 will be aligned with the bottom of grade G
- Grade 5 will be positioned in the top third of the marks for a current Grade C and bottom third of the marks for a current Grade B.This will mean it will be of greater demand than the present grade C, and broadly in line with what the best available evidence tells us is the average PISA performance in countries such as Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland
- The new maths GCSE will be tiered, with grades 4 and 5 available through both tiers
During the GCSE courses we will be using these new grades when marking work and reporting on progress. We will also include an explanation of these new grades with each report we send home at the end of each term.
