Schools have begun, so has the penultimate term of this academic year, with students looking forward to completing their end of year assessments and for some, one of the most important exams in their school life: GCSE’s.

As many are aware, a couple of years ago, the current 9-1 grading system was introduced, which brought changes to the curriculum. When the system was introduced, many shared their opinions of the new system as “quite challenging” as the highest achievable grade is higher than the former A*. However, schools have helped students to understand how the grading systems work although they cannot firmly state the specific grades they are likely to achieve. Some people mentioned that this change was necessary to “help differentiate and make changes in both teaching and studying methods.”

During a recent interview a student, Asmitta, mentioned that the GCSE’s are “quite stressful as there is a lot of content to cover, they are still interesting and certain topics focuses on the future such as climate change and new technology. However, the grading makes the GCSE seem like a competition. I think the concept of it is good that it is giving students a grade depending on a particular percentage and not according to fixed grade boundaries.” She also thinks that there is an issue with the difference between grade boundaries being only 1 or 2 marks apart additionally she said that her school has explained the grading system very well.  

Since the first public examinations for schools introduced in England in 1858, there have been changes made over several decades. This is essential, as new discoveries and understandings are being introduced, which enables the curriculum be relevant to each generation therefore improving learning outcomes and enabling the real high flyers to prove their ability.