Not all GCSEs are changing at once – English language, English literature, and maths are changing first, with students sitting these exams this summer.
By 2020, all GCSEs in England will be reformed and graded using numbers instead of letters. However, most GCSEs taken by students at schools in Wales and Northern Ireland will continue to be graded A* to G. The Department for Education has launched a new web page, which explains:
- why and when GCSEs are changing
- why the grading scale is changing, and how the new grades align with the A* to G scale
- the difference between a ‘standard’ and a ‘strong’ pass
- what this means for students, parents, advisers, employers, and further and higher education providers