WHAT IS A GCSE?

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What is GCSE?

GCSE stands for the General Certificate of Secondary Education. This was introduced some years ago to replace the O’ Levels and CSEs with a single examination for all abilities. The final grades are awarded from A* to G. Although there is no longer any such thing as a ‘pass’ or a ‘fail’ at GCSE, Grades A* - C are counted as higher grades and it is these which are needed to go on to A’ Level and Higher Education.

One feature of GCSE is that the final mark is made up of two parts – a written examination, usually done in the summer at the end of the course, and coursework assignments which are completed in class and for homework during the two years of the course. This means that the result does not all depend on the final exam. The proportion of marks available for coursework is different for different subjects. In some courses there are exams throughout the two years, not just at the end.

Some GCSEs are available at different levels of entry to allow for students’ differing abilities. These are usually Higher, Intermediate and Foundation. Different grades are available at the different levels. For example, if entered for Intermediate a student cannot usually get higher than a Grade C.