GCSE Results Day 2023 is almost upon us (Thursday 24th August) so we thought it might be helpful to share some top tips to help you to navigate the day.
General Preparation
- Keep Calm! Results day tends to instil a certain sense of anxiety. Find a quiet spot to take a few minutes, calm down and put your pragmatic thinking cap back on!
- Be Prepared: Confirm what time and how you will receive your results (e.g. email, in person, over the phone). Some people would rather receive results on their own, whilst others benefit from having others around them – consider what you would prefer in advance and plan accordingly.
- Focus on yourself: Emotions often run high on results day; you may wish to be surrounded by friends and it can be tempting to compare results. Don’t(!), make sure you focus on your results.
- Familiarise yourself with the grading system: GCSEs are now graded using a numerical system from 9 (the highest) to 1. A grade 7 is equivalent to an old A grade. Some IGCSEs are still using the old letter system from A*- G. Thus, you may receive a combination of letters and numbers depending on the exam boards your school used.
- Read your results carefully! Make sure you take in the key detail. Keep in mind any grade requirements you are working towards, i.e. in order to study a subject at a higher level (i.e. A Level or IB) or for entrance into another school or college. If you are planning to move school or college make sure you have the contact details to hand so you can get in touch to confirm whether or not you met your offer.
- Speak to someone: If you have any doubts or questions about your results do ask your teachers or your parents.
What if you received an unexpected GCSE grade?
If you are unhappy with your result you can request a remark. If you are still unhappy you may be able to appeal to the exam board through your school.
It is important to:
- Speak to your School: Start by speaking to your school about the possibility of having one or more of your GCSE exam papers remarked.
- Review your A level / IB Choices: It is important to meet any grade requirements for the subjects you have chosen to study at higher level.
- Consider Appealing: If you decide to proceed with having a paper remarked you will need to file a request through your school. You can find out how the appeals process work here: A guide to appeals processes Summer 2023 series.
Please Note:
Re-sit…
- Can I re-sit? Yes! But make sure you speak to your current/intended school about how this might work in practice.
- When can I re-sit? It will be possible to resit English Language and Mathematics in November 2023. Other subjects will be possible to resit in the next summer series in 2024.
- Which grade stands, my current grade or the re-sit? The higher of the two grades will stand.
- What should I re-sit? We would recommend you speak to your school about which GCSEs you intend to re-sit. Given the important and significant step up to A-Level/IB study, we would not recommend retaking more than 4 or 5 GCSEs alongside your A-Level/IB studies as the workload will be considerable, especially if they are subjects you haven’t studied for many months. If you do not achieve at least a 4 (formerly a C) in your maths and English GCSEs, you’ll have to re-sit these to proceed to A-level study.
- How will universities view my GCSE grades? Most university courses have minimum GCSE requirements, so it would be worth checking these if you already have a course/university in mind as this may help to inform your re-sit decisions.
- What next? If you decide to re-sit we would recommend you prepare accordingly! We have a number of excellent, experienced GCSE tutors who can help with your preparation. For more details, please call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via enquiries@keystonetutors.com.
If you are still bemused and befuddled after discussing your results and options with your school you might like to seek independent advice. Keystone’s Consultancy Team have a wealth of experience in offering educational advice, so do give us a call if needs be. We are very happy to help!