I don't really get the new GCSE grading....

[AuntieMatters]

Everyone keeps saying that 7 is an A and 8 an A star and 9 A double star?

But then there is this other narrative sometimes, in posts on here and conversations elsewhere, that treats anything less than a 7 like it would be a really poor grade....

Certainly for my son's chosen subjects at 6th form he needs " at least a 7" and he and his teachers feel he should aim for 9s across the board

I don't mind him having high aspirations but I just feel like there's mixed messaging about what the grades really mean?

When I was in school (comprehensive) to do further maths you needed to have an A at GCSE plus a recommendation from your maths teacher. If you got an A* then you didn’t need the recommendation.

To do Chemistry and Physics you needed an A at GCSE and for maths you needed a B.

I think it was pretty similar to what is needed at a lot of schools now.

At my DD’s school she needs an 8 average across all her GCSE’s just to be able to get into the 6th form and then an 8 in whichever subjects she wants to study at A Level. With the exception of further maths where they would prefer a 9 in maths GCSE. This is a selective independent school though, not a comprehensive.

Just checked our local comprehensive. It was 48% of all grades were 7+ in summer 2025. Apparently the UK average was 21.7%.

It’s important to note that it has changed over the years.

When the system was first introduced, a C was equivalent to a 5. Now, it’s only a 4.

You can still find online old PDFs etc explaining what it used to be, and threads on here explaining it - that a 5 was a C.

That's not correct - there was the concept originally that a 4 was a basic pass and a 5 was a strong pass - and some talk that maybe 5 would be the "pass baseline" in the future. But they were always both equivalent to a C.

It is correct! I’m busy now but if I get chance later I’ll find some of the materials I referred to. It is 100% correct that when first launched, a C was equivalent to a 5.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/setting-standards-for-new-gcses-in-2017

C was always a 4

Edited to include this quote "Grade 5 will be positioned in the top third of the marks for a current Grade C and bottom third of the marks for a current Grade B. This will mean it will be of greater demand than the present grade C"

8 and 9 are both A, but it was to differentiate between students within the A and the best and highest achievers.

No, it’s subtly not quite right.

Originally, the Government wanted to raise the ‘pass’ mark (for a Level 2 qualification) from a C to a 5.

They wanted the lower part of the previous C grade band to be a 4, thus raising the effective ‘pass mark’.

So the ‘old’ C grade was effectively split into 2 - a lower band (4) that was to be deemed a ‘fail’, and a higher band (5, which also covered a bit of the old B) that was to be deemed a ‘pass’.

In the event, they ducked out of the consequences of a potential catastrophic fall in the ‘pass’ rate and decided that 4s would count as ‘a low pass’, just as the lower marks within C had done, designating 5 as ‘a strong pass’.

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-39490307.amp

and this from Ofqual in 2017 explaining what will happen with the new grades (ie before they had first been awarded): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b30e6e1ed915d588925a75f/Grading_new_GCSEs25.6.2018.pdf

Both of these have 4-6 as the range encompassing C to B.

Yes, the confusion comes from the resit requirement.

The original plan was for children who did not achieve a grade 5 in their GCSE maths and English to have to resit these subjects in sixth form/college. This was an attempt to raise standards and expectations. 5 would be the 'no resit required pass', where the old requirement was a C.

This requirement was pulled five weeks before the first cohort sat the new GCSEs in 2017 when they realised that there was absolutely no capacity for 16+ providers to put on resit classes and exams for the thousands and thousands of extra resit students that the grade 5 resit requirement would create.

The percentage of students who were awarded a grade 4 or above was always pegged to be the same as the proportion of students who had been awarded a grade C or above the previous year. This was then called the 'standard pass' and a grade 5 was called a 'strong pass' and covered students who would previously have been awarded a high C or a low B.

I went to school in Scotland back in the 80s. In 5th and 6th year (equivalent to 6th form in England) in addition to our academic subjects we had to do blocks of art/PE/DT/music each term as part of our timetable (there was a choice in what you did but you couldn't opt out and get a free period instead).

For all years Friday afternoon was set aside for activities, although as an adult I can see that was probably because a school serving a large rural area couldn't really offer before and after school clubs in the way my kids school does so Friday afternoon activities opened that option for extracurriculars to everyone.

It doesn't bloody matter! Pay attention. What mattered in 2017 is not relevant to what matters in 2026. Its what schools are asking for in 2026 that matters. Different schools ask for Different grades. Kids are individuals.
The 2026 gcse cohort were aged 7 in 2017. I assume their parents were all stressing about sats in those days. I bet they didnt understand sats either. The kids probably passed anyway regardless.
Maybe parents should attend parents evening or email teachers instead of stressing on mumsnet

I believe universities use a points system, which may include gcse grades. Schools and colleges guide students towards the most suitable universities for them.
Another secret: Oxbridge isn't the be all and end all. Unless you have boastful parents.
I know several people who went to oxbridge, one aced her A levels, after aceing her gcses. She is now a high flyer earning mega money. She went to a comp. Her parents never stressed about her grades. Ditto her sister.
2 were privately educated. They did ok at oxbridge, nothing special. One got a 2:2 without the private school there to guide them every step of the way. They both became teachers. They could have done that if they'd gone to a bog standard comp and a lower university.
The brightest one I know went to a red brick. Another high earning high flyer. They never considered oxbridge.
Another one went to ordinary comp where they were told they were average. They got B.Sc followed by 2 masters degrees - M.sc and MBA. Followed by other qualifications. They are doing better in the world of work than the oxbridge kids.
Everyone is different. Everyone develops at a different pace

My point was that if you get AAB from a grammar your GCSEs will be looked at in comparison to your cohort to see how well you performed. That can be what gets you into any university over someone else, so saying that GCSE's don't matter when you get to A' Levels is not correct.

And your qualifications and academic experience are..??
As I stated, schools and colleges tend to guide the students into the right university or career choice for them. Schools generally know what students are capable of. Grade AAB will ensure entry onto most university couses.
Another secret: universities are only interested in the income. They just want to fill their courses. They often let students in with lower grades.
Degree apprenticeships are the newest trend. I think employers look for personality, life skills and work ethic as much as academic grades. Lamda may be just as useful as fretting over the difference between a grade 7 or 8 in geography .

I have no idea why they made it so stupidly complicated OP.

It's interesting that you measure success only in terms of income.

I could have done a "mega money high flier" job but they didn't remotely appeal to me. Some of the most brilliant people I know earn modest salaries doing fascinating jobs and making a real difference in the the world. It can be a conscious choice not to be a corporate "high flier"

Rutger Bregman's Moral Ambition is worth reading.

Quite. I think the most important thing is being in a position to get a job you love.

It must be terrible for those people who wish their lives away waiting for retirement.

Just checked our highly academic local state school. They require grade 6 English and maths for 6th form. Plus grade 6 for chosen subject. Grade 7 for maths. Grade 4 for Btec including grade 4 English and maths. That's all any parent needs to know.
With the comments about high flyers, they tend to be hard workers with a flair for their chosen fields.
Not sure why mumsnet wants their kids to go to university, is it the boast factor? Or do they want them to do well in life?
For the record, I loved studying. I had 2 careers both of which I loved. Do what you love and you will never be poor

I've found that a lot of the academic 6th forms near me - for example the London Academy of Excellence, Woodhouse College - say they require 6s but in practice offer to people with 8 average, sometimes even 8.5 in predictions. This are some of the best state 6th forms in the country by results but they are highly selective.

So you now need an A / 7 at GCSE to be in with a chance of getting a C in that subject at A Level?! Is this school / area specific, because our local sixth forms say students need a 5 in a subject to study it at A Level?

It varies by subject.

You want Table 2 in the attached document (which I think is the latest version - happy to be corrected)

https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/735630-144.-progression-from-gcse-to-a-level-2021-2023.pdf

It shows, for example, that for History, for those who started the A level with a 6 at GCSE, 4% got A/A* but equally, 39% got D or below.

For Maths, if you started with a 6 or below, 72% ended up with a D or below at A level.

There may be pandemic effects (2021 results for GCSE were not ‘normal’) but similar patterns can be seen in earlier versions of the same document if you search.

The overall message is that if you started with a 5, it is likely (in some subjects overwhelmingly probable) that you will get a D or below at A level.

Which for some subjects, may still contribute towards getting you a place for the next stage of your education somewhere, so may still be ‘worth it’.

I wouldn't worry about converting the grades - they have been around for 6 years now and most people recognise that 7/8/9 are great, 5 and 6 are reasonable, 4 is a scrape by and the others do not meet required standard. Yes, lots of schools specify a 6 or above (and sometimes 7 and above) to study a subject at A'level, but others do not. I think the only people converting are those getting a lot of 7s because they think A sounds better!

There is some predictive algorithm which I understand is considered to be a reliable indicator. My DS got 5x6, 2x5 1x4 and a BTEC distinction. He’d been predicted 7-9s but had a major disaster in his exams that we still don’t fully understand. As a result was not granted a place at any 6th form (lost his place at preferred one and not one of the 3 others in our area would even talk to us). He ended up in a local tech, where in addition to a small number of A level pathways and access courses, they basically teach apprenticeships (hairdressing, catering, electrician and plumbing etc).

Acc to the algorythm he was predicted CDD-CCD in A levels and they said this was why none of the other colleges would touch him. Fortunately the same tech insists students do AS Levels - in which he got AAB (missed the final A by 2 marks). They were blown away as they truly believe the predictive model.

He has offers from several top draw unis as he is expected to get A*A*A now and fortunately the unis seem to be willing to forgive the rubbish GCSEs now, despite each one asking for a minimum of 4/5 in maths and English. But his applications have taken longer to process because admissions tutors have taken time over his applications and he has several interviews.

So, the system seems very unforgiving, very rigid in its reliance on believing that 6 or below will not get the grades you need for university. Poss not helped by many unis requiring grades higher than Bs - which I suspect it is to do with the fact that they need to attract international students with their massive fee generating potential.