Loading...Here, School Entrance Tests explain how the 2023 GCSE pass marks will be calculated, together with all the other GCSE grade boundaries. Just as these are done for every GCSE year. Plus we guide you through our many GCSE revision and GCSE past papers resources.
Anyone preparing for their GCSEs will hopefully find this post informative.
BUY GCSE KEY SKILLS TRAINING for core GCSE subjects.
GCSE pass marks calculations
- Each GCSE exam board has only slightly different pass grade boundaries each year. Typically this is somewhere between 30% – 50%.
- This is because the GCSE pass mark depends on that year’s overall student performance. A set % must fall within each grade boundary, including roughly the same percentage each year who pass.
- The same annual standardisation statistical calculations are conducted for each GCSE exam.
- So let’s assume for one year more students do badly than is usual. Now that GCSE’s pass mark needs to be lowered.
- Otherwise there would be too small a percentage of GCSE students who achieve a pass grade.
- Similarly, if more GCSE pupils do better for a different GCSE exam, then the pass mark is increased.
Latest 2023 GCSE pass marks news updates
- Should pupils taking 2023 GCSE and A-levels this summer must be marked more generously due to the devastating impact of the ongoing teachers’ strike and the lingering effects of the pandemic?
- Ofqual has advised exam boards to return to “normal” marking for the first time since 2019. In 2020, public exams were cancelled, and in 2021 and 2022 they were graded more leniently.
- But if Ofqual does not change its stance, 50,000 fewer A*s, and about 30,000 fewer A grades, will be awarded at A-level, compared with 2022. This would mean many teenagers missing out on their offers to top universities.
- For GCSEs, around 250,000 fewer top grades — 7s, 8s and 9s — will be awarded this summer.
What is the 2023 GCSE pass mark going to be?
For 2023 GCSE students, the same two 2022 GCSE grades will represent a GCSE pass:
- Grade 5 in 2023 GCSEs will still be a strong GCSE pass.
- 2023 grade 4 GCSE will be a standard GCSE pass.
As in the 2022 GCSE’s, Furthermore, in 2023 GCSE grade 9 is higher than the previous GCSE grading system’s A*. In the old GCSE system, A* is broadly the same GCSE grade as 2023 grade 8.
Ask ROB (expert test developer) your questions by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com
An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests.
Rob has worked for the school entrance test publishers ISEB and GL – as well as the leading global psychometric test publishers including SHL, Kenexa IBM, MBTI, CAPP and SOVA Assessment.
What if my GCSE 2023 grades are not sufficient for 6th form admission?
Yes, you’ve several positive options if you missed your GCSE grades.
You should still contact your chosen a sixth form. alternatively, here’s some sixth form alternatives, including apprenticeships.
Can I appeal my GCSE grades?
- The exam boards will publish details of the deadlines for seeking reviews of marking or moderation, and appeals, on their websites.
- Exam boards may charge fees for reviews of marking or moderation if your grade does not change.
- You can request a priority review of marking if you are depending on the outcome of a review to secure a higher education place. Exam boards will aim to complete priority reviews by 7 September, which is UCAS’ advisory deadline for higher education providers to hold places open for students.
- If you and your centre still have concerns after a review of marking or moderation, the review decision may be challenged through the exam board’s appeals process, while decisions about reasonable adjustments, special consideration and malpractice can also be taken into account.
Comparing 2023 GCSE performance to 2022 GCSE results
For example, one high performing London secondary school explained its overall 2022 GCSE performance thus:
Our Year 11 students excelled in their 2022 GCSE exams. These were the first formal public exams in two years. We remain one of the most high-achieving comprehensive schools in West London.
- GCSE grade 7 and above 56% (Regional average 32%) of all GCSE Results
- Achieving grade 4 and above 95% (National average 73%) of all GCSE results
- GCSE grade 5 or above in English 93%
- Achieving Grade 5 or above in Maths 86.
Two 2022 GCSE trends
1. A significant drop in top GCSE grades 2022
The GCSE and A-level results from 2021 were the highest on record, with a particular leap at the top end in terms of the proportion of As and A*s awarded at A level.
- Approx. 1 in 5 of GCSE entries achieved an A* grade.
- Whilst, more than two in five (44.3 per cent) were awarded an A or A*.
28.5% of GCSE entries were awarded a grade 7/A or above, while 7.4 per cent scored the top grade of a 9.
2. A-level grades’ bigger changes than 2022 GCSE grades
In the 2021 results:
- it was A-level grades, rather than GCSEs, where we saw the most significant changes.
- A-levels saw an increase of A/A* grades to 44.3 per cent from 25.2 per cent in 2019. But at GCSE, the number of grade 7/As only rose to 28.5 per cent in 2021, up from 20.7 per cent in 2019.
Hence the predicted 2022 A-Level top grades’ drop from 9.55 percentage points compared with just 3.9 percentage points for GCSE top grades 2022.
Top GCSE Exam board guidance for 2023 GCSEs
Each GCSE exam board’s pass mark % each year is similar. Even though this ball park figure does change – across all the GCSE exam boards – eacg year.
For example:
- AQA exam board’s pass mark was 70 / 160 in 2022 which is 43%. Whereas, back in 2019 it was 48%. More AQA GCSE 2023 info can be found at the AQA website: here for the AQA 2022 GCSE pass marks for here for the AQA 2019 GCSE pass marks.
- Edexcel exam board’s pass mark examples are 77 / 160 in 2022 which is 48%. Whereas it as 51% in the 2019 GCSE year. More Edexcel GCSE 2023 info can be found at the AQA website: here for the Edexcel 2022 GCSE pass marks and here for the Edexcel 2019 GCSE pass marks.
- OCR exam board, 67 out of 160 marks were needed for a pass in 2022. This was 42%. This was very similar to 2019, where 43% of correct marks were needed.
GCSE grades percentages – – – GCSE pass marks – – – GCSE grade percentage equivalents
Review your own GCSE exam board’s specific GCSE guidelines
Check out the other grade boundaries for 2022 and 2019 on the OCR website, if you click here and here.
Below is each GCSE exam board’s own GCSE exam taking guidance. Hence you will find further boundary setting info for from each of the main GCSE exam boards: OCR GCSE boundary setting, AQA GCSE pass marks, Pearson GCSE pass marks, EdExcel GCSE grade boundary calculations and Cambridge GCSE pass marks.
- Cambridge GCSE exam board guidance
- Edexcel GCSE guidance
- Pearson GCSE exam guide
- AQA GCSE guidance for GCSE exams
- OCR GCSE guida
- Grading: GCSEs and A-level Grading: Ofqual explains what you need to know
For vocational and technical qualification (VTQ 2022) pass mark guidance, see 2022 VTQ pass grades.
Our jobs after GCSE YouTube video
What about 2023 GCSE pass marks and 2023 GCSE modifications?
For 2023 GCSEs, the aim is to return to GCSE results that are in line with those in pre-pandemic GCSE 2019, GCSE 2018 years.
Equivalence of new GCSE grades to old GCSE grading system
- GCSE grade A* is now a GCSE grade 8 / GCSE grade 9;
- A grade GCSE is now a GCSE grade 6 / GCSE grade 7;
- GCSE grade B is now a GCSE grade 5 / GCSE grade 6;
- C grade GCSE is now a GCSE grade 4 / GCSE grade 5;
- GCSE grade D / grade E GCSE is now GCSE grade 3;
- E grade GCSE / GCSE grade F is now grade 2 GCSE;
- GCSE grade G / GCSE grade F is now a GCSE grade 1; and
- U grade GCSE remains the same U grade GCSE.
Further GCSE boundaries info:
Ask ROB (expert test developer) your questions by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com
An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests.
Rob has worked for the school entrance test publishers ISEB and GL – as well as the leading global psychometric test publishers including SHL, Kenexa IBM, MBTI, CAPP and SOVA Assessment.
What are GCSE high tariff exam questions?
These GCSE exam questions have the greatest mark allowance.
Key GCSE Pass Grade Principles – Case Study
A case-study is always useful. Especially to explain how Government guidelines are being interpreted. So, here’s our state secondary school case study of interpreting the GCSE Pass Grade guidelines 2021.
- Teacher-assessed grades. So NOT estimated or predicted grades.
- Overall grade is the “best-fit”. Thereby delivering an overall – almost holistic – outcome.
Five key facts about exam board setting of the 2022 GCSE pass marks
- 2021 GCSE grades were based upon teacher assessments. In 2022, there will be very few schools with higher GCSE grades than their 2021 GCSE results.
- 2022 GCSE exam board grades will be based on a midpoint between summer 2019 – 21. The 2022 GCSE grades will differ from the GCSE 2021 grades. Hence, a more meaningful comparison would be with 2019 GCSE results.
- As in previous GCSE years, senior GCSE grade examiners will review student exams. Again, as usual this will occur across a broad grade range. Only then will GCSE grade boundaries be made. These are then monitored by Ofqual.
- In 2022, the GCSE exam boards’ starting point for grading will be the 2019 and 2021 GCSE results data. Across the different GCSE exam boards since GCSE results data is needed to align GCSE grades.
Our Case Study – GCSE assessment evidence
There are several parts to the total evidence base:
- Mock exams are included.
- Plus, teacher judgment of assessed work across each GCSE course.
- As well as core assessment tasks
‘Normal years’ GCSE pass grades calculations
The new GCSE pass grade is a GCSE Grade 4. This replaces the old GCSE C grade
Thus,
- GCSE Grade 7 approximates to the ‘old school’ GCSE grade ‘A’.
- The new GCSE Grade 4 is similar to the ‘old school’ GCSE Grade C.
- GCSE Grade 3’s may want to resit their GCSE at the next opportunity.
- Strong passes – classified as Grade 5, or higher – are now key measures for schools with pupils taking the new GCSE exams.With the greatest weight given to assessment nearest the end of the GCSE course.
- As there are no public exams this year, there will be no “national” grade boundaries for 2021.
- Grade boundaries vary from year to year according to the composition of papers and the exam board’s moderation of standards after marking of scripts has taken place.
- In making decisions about grade boundaries, heads of department will draw on historic grade boundaries from 2017-19 as they relate to the assessment materials used or adapted, and on the exam boards’ published grade descriptors, in order to ensure that the school is conforming as closely as possible to normal grade standards.
New Welsh GCSEs 2023
What does this mean for GCSEs 2023 in Wales?
Well, transforming the Welsh GCSEs 2023 means less emphasis on traditional GCSEs exams. Plus the language GCSEs 2023 and the literature GCSEs 2023 could be merged into one 2022 GCSE.
The Welsh GCSE exam regulator is launching a national conversation. The aim is to consults parents, as well as pupils, teachers and employers.
Then to teach the new GCSE system from 2025. In summary that means new GCSE 2025 content. Plus, new ways of assessing the GCSE in Wales, including:
– Making more effective use of digital assessments,
– A balanced mix of assessment methods, and
– With more opportunities for pupils to be assessed during their course.
Schools will also be given the opportunity to design their own curricula and meet the needs of their learners, the watchdog said.
Summary of 2022 GCSE grades
To summarise the key points about GCSE grades percentages:
- The GCSE 2021 pass marks are still split into 9 grades.
- There are still two pass marks. A 4 is a standard pass and 5 is a strong pass.
- This is the same as previous GCSE exams.
- In other words, a pupil who gets nine grade-4s has, technically, passed all their exams.
Are GCSE entries increasing year on year?
Let’s analyse the data for the 2021 GCSE entries. In comparison with the 2020 GCSE exam entries.
So, overall the 2021 biology GCSE entries were up 3 per cent. What about other 2021 GCSE subjects?
- Firstly, the 2021 chemistry GCSE and 2023 physics GCSE entries were up by 4%.
- Secondly, 2021 Geography GCSE entries increased by 4 per cent.
- Thirdly, the 2021 English Literature GCSE entries increased by 2%.
- 2021 GCSE Food preparation and nutrition GCSE entries increased by 5 per cent.
- Finally, the 2021 GCSE business studies entries were up by 4%.
Our top tips for passing your GCSEs
Passing your GCSE exams relies upon using good GCSE revision strategies. For example:
- Focus on focused and consistent revision GCSE practice papers sessions. The best approach is to make revision notes on cards. Then to go over what you’ve written on your revision cards.
- Being confident – this is one of the most effective GCSE exam tips. Confidence tells your brain know that you can find the answers.ood approach to take to GCSE preparation. For example, certain students prefer answering the tough questions first and then the easy questions.
- Ask for assistance. Your ego is your enemy, since asking for expert assistance during your preparation phase is a smart thing to do. One should be open to all kinds of suggestions and using those tips to their benefit will bring in better results.
We hope that our GCSE 2023 guide and past GCSE exam papers help you achieve your best 2023 GCSE grades.
Here’s our popular GCSE You Tube channel.
Our free GCSE 2023 Practice Resources
- Firstly, our 2023 GCSE Revision tips.
- Secondly, our new 2023 GCSE exams.
- Plus, our 2023 GCSE mocks tips.
- You may also find our GCSE Maths Practice Test Quiz and Our 12+ GCSE practice useful.
- Make sure to also visit the pages with exam practice for GCSE English 2023 and the other 2023 GCSE language exams.
We hope that our extensive past GCSE exam papers help you
achieve the 2023 GCSE pass mark.
You will find out soon enough on 2023’s GCSE results day.