Students who took GCSE English language and maths in England in the November exam series will be receiving their results today (9 January 2025). GCSE English language and maths are available every November, and entry is restricted to students aged 16 and over. Entries are typically from students seeking to improve their grade from a previous exam series, from adult learners, or from students that had planned to enter in the summer but were unable to do so.
Standards are maintained each exam series. This means that the standard of work required to achieve a particular grade is comparable over time – for example, a grade 4 from the summer means the same as a grade 4 from November. Senior examiners have reviewed the quality of student work compared with previous series and have recommended grade boundaries based on all the available evidence.
Overall outcomes
Overall results for the November series for GCSE English language and maths have been published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). This includes a breakdown of results for each subject and different age groups. As most students entering in November are re-sitting their exams, the cohort of students is different to the summer. It is therefore not meaningful to make comparisons between overall outcomes (that is, the percentage of students achieving each grade) in November and the summer.
It is also not meaningful to make comparisons between results this November and in previous November series, or between different specifications and exam boards. This is because entries to the November series have fluctuated in recent years, and the cohorts of students are likely to be different. For example, the total number of results issued this November is around 19% higher than in November 2023.
Grade boundaries
Exam boards set grade boundaries for each of their specifications in each exam series, and Ofqual monitors this process. Grade boundaries typically change each series, and vary between specifications and exam boards, to take into account the difficulty of the assessments. If the grade boundaries are higher, this doesn’t mean that it is harder to get a particular grade. Where a question paper is easier, the grade boundaries will be higher, and where a question paper is harder, the grade boundaries will be lower. This is important to ensure fairness to students entering different specifications with different exam boards.
Rachel Taylor
Associate Director Standards & Technical Issues, Ofqual