Dates and times for GCSE results day 2015

• Results will be available on Thursday 20th August 2015.
• Students will be able to collect their results from their school or college in the morning. Please check with your school to find out about timings.
• Those who are unable to collect their results in person can request to receive them via post.

Top tips for getting your GCSE results

1. Be ready:

If you are going to school to collect your results, there are a few things that you will need to bring with you. These are:

• Mobile phone
• Pen/pencil
• Notepad/writing paper
• Calculator
• Tissues
• Money
• College/sixth form paperwork

If you encounter any problems on the day, your teachers will be available to help you.

The grade boundaries are simply the amount of marks you need to receive a specific grade. Even if you just made an A, it still counts as an A officially. However, the average GCSE scores are different. Each grade is represented by a number. Your average score will help you see if you reached the required score to attend the sixth form/college. Some colleges/sixth forms may require you to achieve a certain result score, for example 5.0, 6.0.

The score system is as follows:

A* = 8
A = 7
B = 6
C = 5
D = 4
E = 3
F = 2
G = 1
U = 0

So to find your average score, you must add up all of your grade marks and divide it by the number of GCSEs you have taken. For example: 

Maths: B = 6

Science core: B = 6

Science additional :C = 5

English language: A = 7

English literature: B = 6

Geography: C = 5

Art: B = 6

Drama: A = 7

ICT: C = 5

So, 6+6+5+7+6+5+6+7+5= 53/9=5.8

So, your average GCSE score would be 5.8

Some schools may say that you need a score of 5.5. If so, you would have met the requirement. Please check if you met individual subject requirements.

How do I apply for a re-mark?

All applications for a re-mark should be made via your school or college, (unless you are home-schooled). If you think that your result might be wrong you should speak to a teacher as soon as possible and they can submit an ”enquiry about results” (EAR) to the relevant exam board.
 

Do different exam boards have different rules for re-marking?

No. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) sets the rules for all exam boards regarding the administration of re-marking. There are three different EARs available - a basic clerical check to ensure every question has been marked, a review of the original marking by a senior examiner, and a third service (usually applicable to coursework), which reviews the original marking and makes sure it was “fair and appropriate”.

When exam boards do and don’t charge

Exam boards often show on their websites, what services they charge for when a request for a review is issued. This is taken from the AQA website:

Access to scripts: we always charge for these requests.

Review of moderation: we do not charge if your centre marks are re-instated. In all other cases, we will charge the full re-moderation fee whether or not grades or marks change.

Review of marking of linear subjects: if the grade changes we don’t charge.

Review of marking of modular subjects (including 100 per cent terminal GCSEs).

If the award grade changes, we don’t charge for any of the re-marked units.

If the award grade stays the same (or the candidate did not aggregate), we don’t charge for re-marked units whose unit grades changed.

Extended reviews: if we decide to re-mark your whole class, we will not charge for these reviews, nor for the initial sample submitted for review.

Appeals: we will not charge if you win your appeal at either stage 1 or stage 2.

Retaking an exam

If you need to resit GCSE maths, English, or English language, these exams are available in November.

However, GCSEs are changing and the new (reformed) GCSEs, taught from September 2015 with first exams in June 2017, will mean any student who sits an exam in November must have reached the age of 16 on or before 31 August in that calendar year.

This will be the first time that an age restriction applies and the November series will be restricted to entries for English language and maths.

If you need to resit several subjects, you may have to wait until the following June. If the resit isn’t a subject that is required for your chosen courses, you may be able to start your A-levels in the meantime. Each sixth form and college will be able to advise you.