GCSE results day 2024: Grade boundaries explained

From grade boundary equivalents to exam remarks, we answer all your questions

GCSE results day is an exciting moment for many pupils, as they prepare to embark on new studies and attend different sixth form colleges. 
But for others it can be a stressful time, with those missing out on their required grades facing difficult decisions about their next steps. 
To prepare parents and students for whatever happens on the day, we detail everything you need to know and how to appeal your results if needed. 
All pupils are able to collect their results from 8am on August 22.
If you’re unable to attend your school, you can ask to receive your results by post or email. 
You can also arrange for a relative or friend to pick up your results for you. They will need to take in a signed letter from you and a form of ID for themselves.
It’s not just a nerve-wracking day for students – parents can also feel the pressure. After many days of revision, the mood swings and the exams themselves, parents are very much part of the day. 
According to Bernadette John, the director of the Good Schools Guide, the best thing a parent or guardian can do is accompany their child to school to pick up their results.
“Quite often, children might want to go on their own or with friends. But I would say go with them – and if anything has gone awry, get in and sort it out straight away,” she advises.
The numerical system first introduced in 2017 continues this year, with pupils awarded grades from one to nine in each subject. 
Numerical grades were first used in 2017 for English Literature, English Language and Maths, while other subjects were awarded typical A* to G grades. Another 20 subjects introduced the system in 2018, followed by another 25 in 2019, and all subjects in 2020. 
The new grading system was designed by Michael Gove, the former education secretary. He said it would “help refix the level at which people could recognise outstanding behaviour”. 
It was part of a package of reforms, which included toughening up syllabuses and reducing coursework in many subjects. 
In 2021, following the disruption caused by Covid and exams being cancelled, students received grades determined by their teachers.
Mock exams and other work completed as part of a student’s course – such as coursework, essays or in-class tests – were used as evidence for their grades. 
Students resumed classes as normal in 2022, meaning that GCSE exams and results reverted to the pre-pandemic format.
If there is any doubt about the grade awarded, students can ask their schools and colleges to check for administrative errors and mistakes. 
If you think your grade may be wrong, speak to your school as soon as possible and ask them to check for you.
The deadline to request a priority copy of the marked paper is September 5, and the deadline to request a review of marking is September 26.
If you’re still unsatisfied after making in-school enquiries, your teachers can submit an appeal to the exam board on your behalf.
Appeals can be made if procedures were not followed properly, the awarding organisation made an administrative error or the school made an unreasonable exercise of academic judgement in the choice of evidence used to support your grades.
If you’re still unhappy with the outcome of an appeal, you can contact the examinations procedures review service (EPRS), which is provided by the exam board regulator, Ofqual.
Alternatively, students will also be offered the opportunity to re-sit their exams in the autumn.
Students have the right to certain documentation to support their request for a review. Their school or college must provide them with:
Students must ask their school to apply to and pay an exam board for an appeal. The fee is refunded if the grade is altered as a result of the appeal. Check with your school for details. 
If you don’t achieve at least a grade 4 (formerly a C) in Maths and English, you will not be able to proceed to A-level.
But re-sits, which take place in the autumn, offer you a chance to rectify this, as well as improving your choice of sixth form institutions, further education and even career choices. 
For all other exams, re-sits will take place during the usual exam period in the summer. 
Make sure to check with your school for precise re-sit options.
If you miss the grades to get into your chosen sixth form college or school, get in touch with them as soon as possible to find out if they will still accept you. 
Key pass grades in Maths and English will likely be the most important consideration, but some centres may be happy to take on students subject to further exam re-sits.
Even if they will not admit you for the A-levels you wanted to take, they may offer you different subjects instead.
If they still will not offer you a place, take a look at other institutions with lower entry requirements.