https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/30/nine-years-of-gcse-grades-9-to-1/

Nine years of GCSE grades 9 to 1

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A levels and GCSEs, Exams, Grading, Results

As we close in on the ninth summer of awarding GCSE grades 9 to 1, we can say they aren’t quite so ‘new’ any more. And yet we still see thousands of visits every month to our explainers on the 9 to 1 grading scale from when they were first introduced.

We know why this is. Every year sees a new cohort of students and parents keen to understand the scale and relate it to the A* to G scale they have heard about from previous generations.

GCSE exams have just finished and attention is turning to results. So with 8 years’ experience of the grades bedding in, we have published refreshed information on our website to answer the most common questions.

Why did GCSE grades change to 9 to 1?

The change was made when GCSEs were reformed so that:

  • it is immediately clear whether students studied the old pre-reform GCSEs or the updated versions of them
  • there is more differentiation at the top of the scale, where grades 7, 8 and 9 together are equivalent to grades A and A* on the old scale

See GCSE 9 to 1 grade scale explained for more information.

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