England Uses 9-to-1 GCSE Grades, With 4 Set as the Key Pass Mark
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 18
England Uses 9-to-1 GCSE Grades, With 4 Set as the Key Pass Mark
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 18
Summary
England’s GCSEs now use a 9-to-1 scale, with 9 the highest grade, 1 the lowest and U for ungraded; the system replaced A-to-U letters and was fully rolled out across all subjects by 2020.
Grade 4 is treated as the key pass benchmark, while many sixth forms require 5s or 6s and pupils scoring 3 or below in maths or English language must continue studying those subjects.
The number scale only partly matches the old letters: grade 7 aligns with the bottom of an A, grade 4 with the bottom of a C, and grades 9, 8 and 7 together span the old A* and A range.
The reform began with a 2014 curriculum overhaul and a 2017 launch in English language, English literature and maths, aiming to make GCSEs more demanding and less reliant on coursework.
Wales and Northern Ireland still mainly use letter grades—though Northern Ireland added a C* in 2019—while Scotland uses Nationals instead of GCSEs.