What does 3 and 4 mean in the old letter gcse's?

[elliejjtiny]

I know 9 is the top grade and 1 is the bottom. But not sure what number is equivalent to the old C grade and what 3 and 4 would be in the old system.

A 5 is a C
3 and 4 are grade Ds loosely. It doesn't correlate completely

Thankyou. I remember having this discussion with my mum when we were trying to work out if my c grade gcse was the same as her grade 1 cse.

4 is a low C - it counts as a "standard pass". So 8 4s is the benchmark that is generally looked for.

The changes do make it difficult to compare, and even though I've looked at charts it is still confusing! My DD's secondary now have targets in line with the numbered grades for GCSE so if she's got a 6+ in a subject then I've heard teachers describe her chances possible grade anywhere between a high C to a low or solid B. My DD is not yet taking GCSE's though or even picking her options so it could all be different by the time we get round to it!

I tend to use the chart here, but you'll see on there that B and C are now covered by 4, 5 and 6.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44125336

Winoa is not correct.

A 4 is definitely a C in old money. A 4 is a 'standard pass'. It is a low-mid C, as a 5 is a high C/low B and a 6 is a good B.
The % getting 4+ is pegged to the % getting C+ in the old system (approximately).

A 3 is a D or a high E.

Is a 3 a fail or a pass I went to school in Roi and a D was a pass.
My kids at school in NI doing GCSE

In England a 3 would not be a 'level 2 pass' (which is what most people mean by pass but technically 1-3 are also passes but at level 1).

4 is a good pass - it’s the new C. A 5 would be a high C or low B depending on the score. 9 is exceptional performance: not an a* necessarily.

Why they changed it I have no idea.

DD’s school don’t accept anything below a 5 as a pass, and don’t count 5s or below towards the points needed to remain for sixth form!

Thankyou. I think the new system is better but it will take a while to get used to. My dc's school reports have come in with current grades, end of year target grades and year 11 predicted grades from the beginning of year 7 which makes a lot more sense. My school reports did the letter gcse's for predicted grades in year 11 but did everything in national curriculum levels for all the other years.

Fruity I believe they changed it to:

• mark transition to the new style GCSEs
• draw a line under the grade inflation
• to be able to finely distinguish at the top level (though tbh I thought that's the whole point of A levels and degrees),
• so they can add a 10 later if they need to.

4 is not a good pass. 4 is just about a pass

I did mine in Wales, I had 1's 2's and 3's
I was told the 1's were A's 2's were B's and 3's were C's

Pegase - according to both Ofqual and the DoE a 4 is a C and is a pass. It's not 'just about a pass', it is, categorically, a pass. It's so typical of MN and its own spectacular brand of grade inflation that kids who get 4s and pass are done down by that sort of language.

A grade 4 and above is a pass. There is information here ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/02/gcse-9-to-1-grades-a-brief-guide-for-parents/ which includes a table showing the equivalents between the old and new grade system

I did GCSE maths as an adult last year. 4 is not accepted at many universities, you need a 5. However, 4 is technically a pass.

4 is a pass and equivalent to a C; 5 is c/b and 6 a B.

It's not for each individual school to set pass levels! Entry requirements for 6th form, fine, but a 4 or above is a pass, and a decent grade.

4 is not accepted at many universities

Isn’t it? Do you have examples? Universities were specifically told that if they used to accept a C they should now accept a 4, so if they’ve ignored that, that’s a big deal.

A 4 is a pass but it’s not a ‘good pass’ @Fruityb
It’s the minimum pass and a lot of sixth forms look for 5 and above

When I went looking for university entrance requirements, they all seemed to accept a 4 as a pass (clearly some had higher criteria in particular subjects as appropriate to individual qualifications). I'd be very interested to know what universities think it isn't.

My son's sixth form requires a minimum of 8 4s (including maths and English) for entry to A Levels and then specific higher grades relating to the subjects you want to take.

I find it very worrying how much misinformation and confusion there is on this thread.

Ok then it’s a pass. And as lots of sixth forms wanted B at GCSE they often want a 5. We used to ask for B at GCSE to study A level lit.

A 4 is a pass. All universities accept it as a pass. If a course has a maths element, they might ask for a 5 or 6.

UCL doesn’t, you need a 5.

www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/application/entry-requirements/level-and-gcse-qualifications

Interesting that UCL requires a 5 at GCSE but a C at IGCSE thus accepting lower standards from pupils at private schools.

Also UCL says "English Language and Mathematics at grade 5 or higher" not that all your passes need to be higher. Surely you are unlikely to be doing a degree in a subject that you got less than a 6 in anyway.

4 is a pass, of course it is.