Page 5 - Kingham Hill School GCSE prospectus

The new GCSE grading system

A new grading system has been introduced along with the new GCSEs. The old grading system of
A* to G has been replaced with a grading system that uses numbers 1 to 9 to identify levels of
performance, with 9 being the highest level. The table below shows how the new and old systems
compare:

‘Old’ grades (A*to G) ‘New’ grades (1 to 9)

9 The proportion of new 9 to 7 grades awarded
A* 8 is roughly the same as the proportion of old
A 7 A* and A grades awarded – so at the top end
of the grade range, the new system is more
specific. In time, this might mean that the top
universities will get more exact (and rigorous)
in their entry requirements.

6 Here there is a degree of confusion – the
B 5 Department for Education have defined a 5
C 4 as a ‘good pass’ (the top of the old C grade)
and a 4 as an ‘awarding’ grade (the bottom
of the old C grade). It remains to be seen
how universities and other institutions will
differentiate between the 4 and 5 grades.

D 3 There is now less differentiation in the
E 2 grades that do not constitute a good pass –
F 1 the grades that fall below the old ‘C or above’
G threshold. This reflects the fact that under
the old system few employers or further/
higher educational institutions made much
distinction between Es, Fs and Gs.

U U For some reason a U is still a U, rather than a
0.

In some iGCSE subjects the old grading system will still be used. This is not an issue for pupils, as
the gradual introduction of the new system over the last few years has meant that universities and
other institutions are familiar with a ‘mixed economy’ of qualifications and results.

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