The old GCSE grade equivalents for every level of the 'new' numerical results system (2024)

This year’s GCSE results day falls on Thursday 12 August, with students once again facing the unusual prospect of getting their grades despite not sitting any exams.

With the despised Ofqual algorithm a distant memory, this year’s results are being calculated solely using teacher assessments, which has sparked some outcry over perceived “grade inflation”.

Whatever pupils get when they receive their grades, there remains one final hurdle to overcome (although it might be more of an issue for their parents) – deciphering the “new” numerical system of GCSE results.

What are the old equivalents of new GCSE grades?

Ahead of the 2017 GCSEs the Government changed the GCSE grading system from A* to G to a numerical system of 9 to 1 (9 being the top grade and 1 being the lowest).

As per the guide below, issued by the exams regulator Ofqual, the numerical system essentially boils down to the following:

• 9 = High A* grade
• 8 = Lower A* or high A
• 7 = Lower A grade
• 6 = High B grade
• 5 = Lower B or high C
• 4 = Lower C grade
• 3 = D or high E
• 2 = Lower E or high F
• 1 = Lower F or G
• U = U remains the same

What is a pass mark under the new GCSE system?

The numerical system means that, while a pass used to be a simple C grade, there are now two marks considered a “pass” for GCSE students.

Schools are judged by the proportion of its pupils that achieve a “standard” pass and above, which is denoted by a grade 4.

This means that anybody achieving a grade 4 or above in English and maths will not have to resit these qualifications under regulations introduced in 2015/16.

Slightly confusingly, schools will also be held to account for the proportion of pupils that gain a “strong” pass or above which is a grade 5.

Furthermore, the highest grade of 9 isn’t exactly the same as an old money A*: essentially it’s better, as an 8 is also roughly equivalent to the lower half of the A* band and a higher A.

Under the numerical system relatively few students should be achieving grade 9s in normal years, as they will effectively be rationed.

So anybody achieving a good selection of grades 7s and 8s can still be very happy indeed, with universities and employers considering these as very good grades.

How are GCSEs being graded in 2021?

Last year’s GCSE results were initially set to be calculated with the assistance of the same Ofqual algorithm which sparked such anger over A-level grades.

However, this was rapidly changed following the Government’s U-turn on A-levels, with the algorithm unsurprisingly ditched entirely this time around.

Cath Jadhav, Ofqual’s Director of Standards and Comparability, explained: “In summer 2021, teachers will judge the standard that a student is working at, based on a range of evidence produced by that student over their course of study, and covering only the content they have been taught.

“Teachers will make the initial judgements and they will then be subject to internal quality assurance within the school/college, and grades will be signed off by the head of department and head of centre – usually the headteacher or principal – before they are submitted to exam boards.

“In simple terms, a GCSE student who is performing consistently at a grade 6 standard, should be awarded a grade 6.

“It should be no harder or easier to achieve a particular grade than it is in a normal year when examinations take place.”

Teachers will base their assessments on a range of evidence, including coursework and mock exams.

Ms Jadhav added: “We are asking teachers to take an evidence-based approach, so that students, their parents and carers, and all those who use the grades awarded this summer can see how their final grade has been arrived at and know that they have been determined objectively.”

Schools and colleges have been asked to judge the standard of students’ work against the standards set in previous years, to try to keep grades consistent year on year.

Why was the old GCSE grading system replaced?

This system was introduced four years ago to bring in more differentiation at the top end of the grading scale, allowing sixth forms, colleges, universities and employers to better understand what level young people are working to.

It was part of a complete overhaul of the GCSE system, which was carried out to bring England closer in line with the top performing education jurisdictions around the world.

While grading is no harsher than under the previous system, the GCSE curriculum had more content and some of the questions in the exam papers (when they are used) are intended to be harder, to identify students on course to gain a grade 9.

According to a previous survey by the National Education Union, nearly 89 per cent of teachers believed the changes in GCSE assessment made more students “extremely anxious and stressed”.