GCSE grades explained – what is the 1-9 marking system and how does it work?

GCSE students are now graded with numbers instead of letters after the old system was overhauled in 2017.

Here's everything you need to know about the change, which swaps the old U-A* system with 1-9 grades.

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What do the new GCSE grades mean?

The new GCSEs have been designed to be harder, which is reflected in the way they are graded.

A nine represents the best possible performance, and will be rarer, and more impressive, than a current A* grade.

Meanwhile, an eight is somewhere between an A* and an A, and sevens are worth the same as A grades.

Similarly, a six is the same as a high B grade, while a five is somewhere between a B and a C, with a four equating to a current C grade.

A three is slightly poorer than a current D, and a two is slightly worse than an E grade.

One, the worst possible grade, is below an F, while a U will still be awarded for papers which are not possible to grade.

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What further changes are being made to GCSEs this year?

In 2017 we saw the first batch of new GCSEs awarded to students getting to grips with a new system.

In the past, students would get a letter ranging from an A*, the best possible mark, to a U, for a paper which failed to achieve any grade.

The new GCSEs are graded with the numbers 1-9 instead of the traditional lettered results.

The change has been designed to be gradual, with Maths, English language and English literature the first subjects to change to the new grading format in 2017.

In 2018 a further 20 subjects were graded with the new numerical system rather than letters, a further 15 subjects were added in 2019, and most others are expected to adhere to the new system by 2020.

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When is the new system coming in for the different subjects?

Summer 2017

• English language
• English literature
• Maths

Summer 2018

• Art and design
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Citizenship studies
• Combined science (double award)
• Computer science
• Dance
• Drama
• Food preparation and nutrition
• Geography
• History
• Modern foreign languages (French, German, Spanish)
• Music
• Physics
• Physical education
• Religious studies

Summer 2019

• Ancient history
• Astronomy
• Business
• Classical civilisation
• Design and technology
• Economics
• Electronics
• Engineering
• Film studies
• Geology
• Media studies
• Modern foreign languages (Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, modern Greek, modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Russian, Urdu)
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Statistics

Summer 2020

• Ancient languages (biblical Hebrew)
• Modern foreign languages (Gujarati, Persian, Portuguese, Turkish)

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Why are GCSE grades changing?

The government is shaking up GCSEs to make them tougher - in the hope that they'll be taken more seriously by employers.

Part of this change involves using a new grading system, to signal that there have been reforms to the exams, and to make it easier to differentiate between results.

The shift to numbered grades also fits better with European exam results, with Germans - and most of Britain's other global competitors - using numerical exam grades.

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