It’s GCSE results day 2020 tomorrow - and it’s already a results season like no other. 

On Monday this week, exams regulator Ofqual and the Department for Education confirmed that GCSE students would receive their centre-assessed grade where it was higher than the statistical moderated grade. 

What does this mean?

Earlier this year, Ofqual asked all schools and colleges to submit predicted grades for each student. These grades were based on a number of things: previous exams, homework and other relevant evidence.

Lecturers were also asked to rank these results, for example from one to 100. Student X and student Y may both have been predicted a grade 4, but student X may have received 4.3 and student Y may have received 4.7 in the ranking. This means that student Y had a stronger grade 4, than student X. 

These grades then went through a standardisation process, which will have considered previous national results in that subject and your school or college’s results in previous years. 

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A level results were calculated in the same way - however, last Thursday’s A level results day saw 40 per cent of grades downgraded. After protests from students and calls for action from teachers and parents, the government U-turned, and announced that both A level and GCSE results would now receive centre-assessed grades, and statistical moderated grades if they were higher than the original centre-assessed grades. 

U-turn confirmed. @Ofqual has decided to 'award grades on the basis of what teachers submitted. The switch to centre assessment grades will apply to both AS and A levels and to the GCSE results which students will receive later this week' https://t.co/gAXFHeEOFt

— Tes (@tes) August 17, 2020

When - and how - will I receive my results?

JCQ has now confirmed that there will be no substantial delay to GCSE results, and all colleges and schools will receive their results at on Wednesday 19 August, allowing students to receive their final grades as expected on Thursday. 

Students will then receive grades from 8am on Thursday 20th August. 

By now, your school or college should have been in contact to tell you how you will receive your results. Some colleges will email all results out to students, others might upload them on to their virtual learning environments. 

If you are still unsure on how you’ll receive your grades, contact your school or college. 

What support will be available to me if I don’t get the results I need?

Support will differ depending on your school or college. Some institutions will have tutors and other staff ready to ring or video chat with you about your grades. Others may encourage you to set up a time to go into college to speak to someone. 

If you are unhappy with your grade tomorrow and no-one has reached out to you, get in touch with your tutor or teacher to ask for support. 

If you got a grade 3 or below in your GCSE English and/or maths, you will have to resit these exams. Whether or not you want to resit other subjects is up to you.

You can find out all the information on deadlines for resit entry here.