Were there GCSE exams in 1987?

[redskyAtNigh]

DH is adamant that his brother was in the first year to sit GCSE and sat exams in 1987. I "know" this to be untrue as I sat GCSEs in 1988, and we were much heralded as the first year to take them, however DH is equally sure that his brother was the first year.

Searching online has revealed a suggestion that there "might" have been earlier GCSE pilots, but that someone taking public exams in 1987 would have sat CSE or O Level.

Is there anyone else that took GCSE exams in 1987, or remembers them happening?

I did my CSE and O'levels in 1987 then when I went to college to do a secretarial course we had to do GCSE English as part of the course which we took in 1988

I did O levels in 87. Dp did GCSE in 88.

I was part of the 16+ trial too @Tsulsaquoola and also got double certificates for some subjects.

I did o levels in 87

Definitely 1988 was first year.

I did mine in 1987 and it was mainly O’levels but maths and maybe another subject was gcse style as others have said.

I think i did some type of trial in Chemistry in 1986. Everything else was O Levels. I thought we were the last year.

Sat my exams in 1986 - some O level / CSE and a couple were 16+ exams which were ‘test’ GCSEs

DH sat exams in 1987 and he was part of the pilot, so he did O levels and GCSEs, this was to level the standard. He sometimes jokes about how many GCSEs he has, as he has two passes for most subjects. I know they are definitely GCSEs as have seen his certificates. He also did some called AO levels, so in some subjects has three passes.

Another who did my O levels in 1987 although 1 subject was a trial of GCSE's. DH did his in 1988 so was GCSE's

I was the first official year to sit GCSES's and took them in the summer of 1988. My school also made us sit O Level English Language the year before (a year early) and I did this in 1987.

I did O levels in 1986, but we were also guinea pigs for a GCSE.
So I had 1 subject marked as a GCSE and an O Level/CSE.
I think to this day my dad thinks I have an O level in that subject because it said Pass level 4 (or whatever it was as a GCSE) but was actually a grade D O level/ 2 CSE.

Am not sure though it says 1986 online which is about the time I remember - I do remember teacher strikes about the same time, I always presumed was because of GCSE and other changes. Am pretty sure my local school were on strike for quite a while.

Um, what did you get for your GCSE Maths?! 😉

as per pp I sat the first 1988

1987 and sat O levels or CSE’s, we were the last year. However, some subjects had exams with the Joint Matriculation Board and this resulted in getting an O level grade & a CSE grade for the same subject - it was something to do with a trial for GCSE’s I think. For English Literature and Language I have an O level certificate grade B & CSE grade 1. I still have the original grade slips from the exam boards.

Yes, the forerunner was called '16+' and I sat mine in '85.
Is that what he means?

There were still CSE' s and O'levels in many subjects though.

1972’er here. We studied them 1986-1988 and 1988 was the first year they were taken.

The content was taught from 1986 and the first exams were in 1988. Google is far more reliable that MN!

Agree that 1988 was the first year. I took them in 1989 and remember that as being the second year of GCSEs!

I did the same mix
But in 1987
I think...the year after was full conversion to gcses

DB who was 16 in the academic year 87/88 was in the first year group to sit GCSEs.

I did Olevels in 1986 and DSis was the first GCSE year in 1988, but I believe there were pilot areas?

same here

In 1986 I sat exams which I got either O’levels or CSE depending on my results.

This was in the Midlands and they said it was the first time it was done.

Yes 1987 was the GCSE pilot called 16±. I have 2 sets of certificates, GCE and CSE