GSCE Results 2023 - Advice for Students
The countdown to GCSE results day is on, and we're here to make sure you're all set for the big reveal on Thursday, August 24.
Getting Ready for the Big Day 🕒
Talk it out with your parents or your mentor if you're feeling a bit nervous. They're there to help.
Time and Place: Double-check the opening time of your school on results day. If you're not sure, check online.
Plan B: If heading to school isn't possible, find out what you need to do to get your results elsewhere.
Essential Stuff to Have on Hand
Phone Ready: Make sure your phone is charged and ready to go for some celebratory calls and pictures.
ID Just in Case: Tuck some photo ID in your pocket – better safe than sorry. Although, it'll most likely be a familiar face handing you those results.
What if things didn't go as planned?
There are number of options open to you if things haven’t gone how you expected:
Appealing a GCSE grade
If you want to query a grade – perhaps one that is lower than expected compared with others and you weren’t expecting it, or you’ve narrowly missed a grade boundary – speak to your teacher in the subject or the head of your year group. They can request a remark for this particular entry.
If you’re a private candidate you can either get in touch with the exam board directly, or do it via the centre that submitted your exam.
If you’re a private candidate you can either get in touch with the exam board directly, or do it via the centre that submitted your exam.
However, if reviewing your exam doesn’t lead to anything, you can still retake it.
GCSE retakes
If you don’t achieve at least a grade 4 or 5 (what was formerly a C) in your Maths and English GCSEs, you’ll have to retake these to proceed to A-level (or other) study. Resits for these can be taken in November so it’s not too long to wait.
Retakes for other subjects take place the following summer. You may be allowed to proceed with your A-levels and take a resit while you do so (although this will be up to your sixth form or college to decide, based on your grades and other factors).
You’ll have to juggle old GCSEs alongside new A-levels which can be tricky so do bear this in mind when planning.
Changing subjects or courses
If you need grades to get into a college or sixth form and you’ve missed the grades, speak to them as soon as possible to find out if they will still accept you. If they won't accept, on the original courses you applied for, find out about similar courses they offer.
If you did better than expected, you might want to re-think your A-Level choices but you’ll need to speak to your school to ensure this doesn’t clash with their scheduling or timetable.
Guide to Grades – Old vs New
A* 9 – 8
A 8-7
B 6
C 5 – 4
D 3
E 2
F 1
G
U U