Do grade 9s matter that much?

[AGoodDayToday]

Hi,

My 15 year old son is home schooling with council funding, because he was struggling with epic anxiety after being at an ultra competitive state secondary school.

He's highly academic and getting very high grades in past papers, but he constantly worries about how he will guarantee a grade 9 in the actual exam.

It seems that when he was at school, the school were very focussed on the importance of getting a grade 9 in everything, and that my son received the message that an 8 or 7 was really not okay. I asked his school friends and they confirmed that the pressure was intense, and he was not mistaken about that.

Also I know that the school routinely gets 20% of all their GCSE exams coming out at grade 9 whereas the national average is about 20% of GCSEs being awarded at grade 7-9. So I think the pressure was very real.

I wondered if anyone could help me figure out how to reframe the GCSE discussion in a more healthy way, so he can be excited about aiming for a 7 and know that that is actually a really good grade?

I know a 7 is the same as an old A grade, and I got As and Bs and ended up with a first class honours degree and a PhD, so I really think that a 7 is probably okay.

DS doesn't need or want to get into Oxford or Cambridge. He's said repeatedly that he would be happy with an apprenticeship even, but he just can't shake the message that he's received from the school that he has no value in life if he doesn't get 9s.

FWIW, at 15 he is also operating at high A level standard in computer science and was already getting a grade 6 in maths GCSE past papers at age 13.

He's a good lad, and will be an asset to someone in their organisation with his abilities, but I need to callm him down a bit and show him that it's okay to be a regular human and not an exam-sitting machine.

I would be really grateful for any thoughts on this.

Thanks!

Does it matter for those then? I thought it was just A levels that mattered.

I wondered also - if it doesn't matter much for the students whether they get an 8 or a 9, does it somehow matter more for the school?

I mean if a school is trying to top the league tables, then does a whole lot of extra 9s somehow help with that?

I wondered if having lots of 9s might feed into an increased progress-8 score and so a higher league table position, or something like that.

I think DS's school was trying to get a very high position in the league tables and it's possible that that is why they were driving them so hard.

If DS knew that, then it might help.

This may sound unfair towards the school, but the school was pushing that message because getting those 9s is a reflection on the school, not on the students, if you see what I mean.

I know it's not quite the same, but our primary did a lot of cramming for SETs at the end of y6 which was making my DC anxious and after I explained that the school wants you to do well so it reflects well on their teaching, not bc it matters to you, it helped them care less about the outcome.

It also is really important that DC have other things that give them self-worth, hobbies, sports, relationships, etc and that it's not all contingent on grades. We do a lot of talking about how those scores are not a measure of worth, or even of intelligence, it's just a marker of how you achieved on a particular day. (I'm sure you have that covered.)

I do agree with the commenter upthread though recommending CBT - it sounds like anxiety is a big issue for them and not to be negative but for some people living with anxiety it can be a constant. In other words, if they learn not to worry about GCSE grades, or they get all 9s, the anxiety just transfers to something else, like A level grades, or health concerns or anything. Wishing the best for you both 🌸

Thank you very much, Teen.
That answers my question from August very nicely about how unusual DS is with 9s in STEM subjects, and 6s in English. Looks like most do better, but he's not a complete wildcard.
I couldn't work out what to ask in Google to get an answer!

I know you said Oxbridge is not the target but you don't even need 9s for Oxbridge. Plenty of people get in with 7s, 6s. Even 5s if doing their outreach schemes. A levels, wider reading, good interview and extra curriculars are far more important.

Thank you, that's extremely helpful to know.

Part of the problem is that he's spending so much time thinking about exam technique and the marking schemes at the expense of actually immersing himself in the subject.

I think if we could forget the marking schemes and just enjoy the material it would be so much more helpful.

I have explained to DS and he says all this is very helpful to know.

Thank you for your help.

Well grades you actually have are different to grades you've been predicted, for offers.

Of course achieving the offer is what matters then.

Two different things.

In terms of future progression, getting 9s is unlikely to make a difference.

However, in terms of A Level, in many subjects, getting 8s and 9s gives the highest chance of getting an A/A*, which obviously is important for future progression.

I would perhaps try and put to focus onto preparation for the next stage - does he understand the content really thoroughly? Can he remember it easily? Can he take it beyond the exam spec and understand more complex concepts in the same area?

If he messes up due to exam technique or stress in the exam, getting anything above a 6 is likely to be fine for most next steps. Only understanding enough to get a 6 will mean he likely won't do as well at A Level if that is what he wants to do next. Perhaps changing the focus would help his stress and anxiety?

I always told my daughter to focus on the journey not the outcome. Education is about more than a grade at the end. It’s about gathering knowledge. Keep an eye on the stepping stones you need to level up, but otherwise just focus on learning things. At Nat 5 (GCSE) all she needs is enough to get her to the next level of learning (Highers). So build the foundations in all subjects, but focus on the structure more in the subjects you know you want to continue in. A 6 in geography is not important if you’re never going to study it again, but it gives you enough knowledge to take through your life. Her Highers are the key to her university admission so she’s taken the ones she needs, and the ones she loves.

Remind him that school don’t pressure the kids for the kids, it’s for themselves and their place in some league table. What’s more important that he does the best he is capable of at any given point. My daughter was on course for all As. But the day of her maths exam a whole load of things (external to her) conspired against her and in the end she missed it by one mark. She was gutted, but I pointed out that on that day, she couldn’t have done anything more, and that’s life.

No, he's absolutely doing the right thing. Regurgitating the mark scheme is how you get straight 9s. GCSEs and A Levels are in my opinion a very boring and miserable slog and test your memory and speed. Such is the emphasis on mark schemes and scheme of work that kids can struggle with the fact those don't really exist at Uni and don't really know what they're supposed to do to revise.
If he wants 9s he needs to continue what he is doing. There will be lots of kids doing the same esp if he's on study tiktok etc. Wider reading and enjoyment doesn't really matter until you're applying for uni and onto courses that interview. His current situation can actually work in his favour if he ends up academically successful. An example of determination during a time of difficulty etc.

The very competitive unis and courses (so medicine in most places, economics in some (LSE), Oxford for most subjects, Cambridge for some, and Bristol, all look at GCSE grades.

What they do not expect is all 9s. Just as well, as per @MrsAvocet's excellent post, about 1300 students got all 9s this year. No way even just Oxford would be able to fill its student body with those.

The unis that look at grades (and it varies) will often look at the best 6 or best 8; they will usually look for 7+ or they may look for a grade average.

How horrible this school sounds and I am so sorry that your son had such an awful time and has come away with the feeling that he needs to put such pressure on himself. It has made me quite angry on his behalf.

I often see posts on MN where people speak blithley of their DC or others gaining "a string of 9s" as if it were common or easy. Maybe they don't mean to sound like that but anyway it bugs me bc in the real world so few students will gain those grades. And yet of course they can go on to massive success, be that working, apprenticeship, uni or yes, Oxford or LSE or Imperial or Cambridge. And in fact a suite of tip top grades does not guarantee great happiness, massive educational success or a huge six figure salary. As I have reason to know.

Hope your son finds that the therapy helps and all the very best to him with his hopes and dreams.

The statistics for 2025 are here. A tiny number got all grade 9s. Although if you have EOTAS/EOTIS, DS may sit some IGCSEs instead of GCSEs and the statistics don’t cover them.

Thanks, that's a good point. We're doing all mostly Pearson iGCSEs and three GCSEs.

I hadn't thought about that.

It seems to be a bit different in Pearson iGCSEs:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/Support/Grade-statistics/International-GCSE/grade-statistics-june-2025-provisional-international-gcse-9-1-specification-international-only.pdf

20% 9s in chemistry and physics but much much lower in some other subjects.

Maybe that's because it is mostly done by private schools?

I find it a bit hilariously funny, all the "working to the marking scheme".

We were looking at Geography again and so much of the paper is just about "say what you see". For example often they want us to read a map or a graph and then just say what we see in the map or graph.

They ask essay questions and I am bracing myself to write an essay that would grace the front page of the FT, and then when we look at the marking scheme, it's really very basic information that is called for. The marking is very generous and allows the student to express their own thoughts and opinions, which I think is very nice.

Then DS says "this is asking for a PEE paragraph" and I nearly fall over laughing.

PEE paragraphs weren't a thing in my day.

Comparing sciences to other subjects is more difficult, for both GCSE and IGCSE, because candidates will sit different sciences.

So using Pearson IGCSE as an example, some will sit single science award, some will sit double science, some will sit separate science. Within the latter some will sit all 3 (bio, chem, physics) and some only 1 or 2 of them. Then there is human biology. It makes comparison hard.

We don’t even have 9’s in Wales!

The highest you can get with WJEC is A star which why I think 8/9’s aren’t differentiated by universities.

That's extremely useful to know, thanks!

Poor lad, so so much pressure. My son completed his gcses last year at a ridiculously high pressured state school. The whole thing was a nightmare. He did very well but at huge cost to his mental health. The whole system is madness, on the grand scale of things none of this matters, his life is not defined by getting grade 9s is exams at age 16. No one will care after results day. So pleased you are being supportive and not adding to the pressure. Maybe he could talk to slightly older students who may help change his opinions.

Thanks, it's good to know that it is not just us. I'm sorry that your DS had to go through this too.

I was thinking back to my school experience and nobody ever mentioned grades to us.

We had tests during the year, but we just got a mark out of ten, and our likely or possible final grade was never mentioned.

When we got our results, I never knew what my friends got and I never asked.

I think it's very weird that it's dwelt on constantly like this in schools now.

they don't matter a jot in themselves, but they're useful as a predictor for A level, which is pretty much the entire currency for university admissions.

like, if you genuinely know you're grade 9 standard, then potentially having a bad day and nothing getting a 9 won't matter at all. but if you're not grade 9 standard then you're likely not A* standard etc which will slightly reduce your choices in terms of the very top universities.

If he's interested in data, you could explain to him that the targets are reached from estimates arrived at for what somebody attending one of the top 5% schools in the country could get if everything goes perfectly for them from the day they start infant school until the day they sit the exams - and that a lot of people in schools don't necessarily understand that, they just see a target on a download for what is termed an 'Aspirational Minimum Expected Grade' (2 grades above students in 50% of English schools having a perfect education and exam days) and assume that is the only acceptable outcome (or they're told that by other people, such as those who run academy trusts, who don't necessarily understand it either). So their saying that only a nine will do means that they don't understand what the data was telling them - or they didn't want to.

The sort of conversations that go on in murky data offices are along the lines of 'Remind me why we pay a shitload for all of this stuff when anybody can estimate a grade and then add two', because that's what the aspirational minimum expected grade is - a kid who is absolutely capable of a seven, just with another two grades lobbed on top for good measure. Unfortunately, it tends to be somewhat career limiting to ask executive leadership 'Are you perfect? Are you? What about you? No? How about being more than perfect? No? Then why are we telling kids that they have to be more than perfect and anything less than that is a failure, then?'.

I think it's very weird that it's dwelt on constantly like this in schools now.

Tbf I do think that your DS unfortunately went to a relatively unusual school, in that the message was given that a grade 8 was not OK.

That's not been the case in any school I worked in (I mean before, it was Astar but still the same thing) nor in my DCs’ school.

In fact the one YP I personally know who I know got all 9s (yes, just one) was certainly not telling anyone when they did – they went with “yes I did really well thank you.” So I really hope (politely) that you are wrong and it is not dwelt on in schools – hopefully those on here who have had similar experience to your son are the rarities.

Our DCs' schools had a pretty healthy attitude - 9's are for bragging rights.
Great if you get them, absolutely does not matter if you don't.

And actually - one of the greatest lessons to learn early on (unfortunately I learnt it quite late in life) is that even totally bombing out on an exam/s does not matter - the world keeps turning.

My favourite quote from a Tesco greetings card:

'Life is rarely who can run the fastest or jump the highest - often the most valuable skill is how well you bounce'

It's really good to know that other schools are not like this. Having lived in that bubble for a few years, it's hard to go out into the world wondering if every other place is also the same.

It definitely was like that in the school. I can't repeat what the teachers and other students said to me because it would make me too identifiable, but it was bonkers what was going on in the school.

I've explained to DS about this thread and he said "thank you very much" and is spending this morning working out how to game the Pearson iGCSE computer science marking scheme. Old habits die hard.