GCSE Changes 2016/17 – What Parents Need To Know
Many of you will have questions around the new exam structure, which will affect most students this year taking their English Language , Literature and maths. The information below is a brief breakdown of what to expect.
GCSEs will be graded 9 to 1, with 9 being the top grade. New GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths from September 2015.
New GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths will be taught in schools in England from September 2015, with students getting their results in August 2017.
The new GCSEs will be graded 1 to 9, with 9 being the top grade. Ofqual has consulted on proposals for how standards should be set for them, and how the grading scale should work.
The approach will mean:
- 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
New GCSEs have been introduced gradually, with the first wave taught from September 2015. Students will sit a combination of legacy and reformed GCSEs over the next three years.
Year 11 in September 2016
These students will take new exams in the first reformed GCSEs subjects – English language, English literature and maths. Their final GCSE certificates will comprise a mixture of numbers and legacy letters.
Year 10 in September 2016
These students will start a wider range of reformed GCSEs, but they may also take some legacy qualifications. As such, their final GCSE certificates, in 2018, may comprise a mixture of numbers and letters.
Year 9 in September 2016
All GCSEs, with the exception of some lesser-taught languages, will have been reformed by the time these students select their subjects. As such, their final GCSE certificates will mainly comprise numbers.
Year 8 in September 2016
All GCSEs will have been reformed by the time these students sit their exams. Their final GCSE certificates will only comprise numbers.