Themes are 2022 GCSE results , 2022 GCSE pass mark and related news content such as the 2022 AQA strike.
In summary, School Entrance Tests answer the following key GCSE results 2022 and GCSE grade boundary questions:
– When will GCSE pupils receive their results.
– what do the GCSE grades mean and
– what grade do teens need to get to pass GCSE 2022?
Latest news on the planned AQA strike
AQA has stated that it…
… priorityseer is always to make sure students get the results they deserve on time.
… has robust plans in place to make sure any strike action won’t affect that.
… delivered an exemplary service that was required even during the pandemic, and don’t think that we were fairly rewarded.
… values pupils and wants them to succeed.
Summary GCSE 2022 results
GCSE, AS and A level grades will drop this year and then again in 2023 as part of a transition back to pre-pandemic arrangements.
2022 GCSE results overall will be higher than in 2019’s GCSE results. Though still not as high as 2020’s GCSE results. In other words, 2022 GCSE results should ‘reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019’.
Where can I find GCSE exam boards guidance for GCSE exams 2022?
GCSE 2022 exam board guidance
Below is the guidance from each of the main 2022 GCSE exam boards: OCR GCSE pass marks 2022, AQA GCSE pass marks 2022, Pearson GCSE pass marks 2022, EdExcel GCSE pass marks 2022 and Cambridge GCSE pass marks 2022.
- Cambridge 2022 GCSE guidance
- 2022 Edexcel GCSE guidance
- Pearson GCSE exam guide for 2022
- AQA GCSE guidance for 2022 GCSE exams
- OCR GCSE guidance for 2022 GCSE exams
For vocational and technical qualification (VTQ 2022) pass mark guidance, see 2022 VTQ pass grades.
Five key facts about exam board setting of the 2022 GCSE pass marks
- 2021 GCSE grades were based upon teacher assessments. In 2022, there will be very few schools with higher GCSE grades than their 2021 GCSE results.
- 2022 GCSE exam board grades will be based on a midpoint between summer 2019 – 21. The 2022 GCSE grades will differ from the GCSE 2021 grades. Hence, a more meaningful comparison would be with 2019 GCSE results.
- As in previous GCSE years, senior GCSE grade examiners will review student exams. Again, as usual this will occur across a broad grade range. Only then will GCSE grade boundaries be made.
- In due course, these are then monitored by Ofqual.
- In 2022, the GCSE exam boards’ starting point for grading will be the 2019 and 2021 GCSE results data. Across the different GCSE exam boards since GCSE results data is needed to align GCSE grades.
Our jobs after GCSE YouTube video
Key GCSE 2022 changes
- Exams in the same subject in England will be spaced at least ten days apart to avoid Covid-19 disrupting GCSEs and A-levels, which ministers insist will return to normal this year.
- Almost 200,000 children are still off school because of the virus and unions say that widespread absences are hampering revision for the first exam season in three years.
- However, ministers are confident that Covid rates in schools have peaked and will have declined significantly by the exam season in June.
Masks and Covid tests in schools have been dropped and ministers are determined not to reintroduce them for exam season even in the face of a resurgence of the virus.
What about 2023 GCSE pass marks and 2023 GCSE modifications?
For 2023 GCSEs, the aim is to return to GCSE results that are in line with those in pre-pandemic GCSE 2019, GCSE 2018 years.
Equivalence of new GCSE grades to old GCSE grading system
- GCSE grade A* is now a GCSE grade 8 / GCSE grade 9;
- A grade GCSE is now a GCSE grade 6 / GCSE grade 7;
- GCSE grade B is now a GCSE grade 5 / GCSE grade 6;
- C grade GCSE is now a GCSE grade 4 / GCSE grade 5;
- GCSE grade D / grade E GCSE is now GCSE grade 3;
- E grade GCSE / GCSE grade F is now grade 2 GCSE;
- GCSE grade G / GCSE grade F is now a GCSE grade 1; and
- U grade GCSE remains the same U grade GCSE.
Further GCSE boundaries info:
What are 2022 GCSE high tariff exam questions?
These GCSE exam questions:
– Have the greatest mark allowance;
– Are largely unchanged from 2021 GCSE plans; and
– Will include other mitigations to compensate students for the last two years’ Covid pandemic disruption. For example, providing formulae sheets for maths GCSE and science GCSE exams in summer 2022.
Ofqual said that no hybrid approach was planned for the 2022 GCSEs. Hence, in 2022 teacher assessment for GCSEs would only be used only if another variant prevented 2022 GCSE exams from taking place.
Where can I find GCSE exam board guidance for 2022 GCSE exams?
GCSE adaptations 2022 are:
- A choice of 2022 GCSE topics / GCSE content 2022 for GCSE students of: GCSE Geography; GCSE English lit.; GCSE Ancient History and GCSE History.
- Advance info provision on exam foci. This adaptation is aimed to help GCSE students target their GCSE revision more accurately (where there no topic choice).
- Provision of GCSE Maths, GCSE physics and GCSE Combined Science formula sheets.
- Practical GCSE exam requirments are also being adapted (due to COVID’s impact in this area. This GCSE adpatation 2022 applies to GCSE sciences, GCSE Design assignments and GCSE Art.
Some of these changes will also apply to the November 2022 GCSE English language and mathematics re-sit exams. There will be advance information deployed for both subjects in July, and a formulae sheet will be available for mathematics.
These GCSE adaptations 2022 are based on the Government’s consultation conducted in 2021 by the GCSE regulator Ofqual.
The consultation gathered more than 6,000 responses – with almost a quarter from students – and showed that more than 90 per cent of students and parents were in favour of giving advance information on the focus of exams next summer to support students with revision, and around 80 per cent or more agreed with offering choices of topics in some GCSE subjects.
When will GCSE exams happen in 2022?
GCSE exams will happen in May and June, as normal, and the exam boards have now published their final summer exam timetables.
Key GCSE Pass Grade Principles – Case Study
A case-study is always useful. Especially to explain how Government guidelines are being interpreted. So, here’s our state secondary school case study of interpreting the GCSE Pass Grade guidelines 2021.
- Teacher-assessed grades. So NOT estimated or predicted grades.
- Overall grade is the “best-fit”. Thereby delivering an overall – almost holistic – outcome.
- Thus, GCSE pupils are not penalised for any isolated instance of poor – or over – GCSE performance
- Thereby, allowing for each pupil’s relevant circumstances in which any element of their GCSE assessment evidence was completed.
How is 2022 GCSE Grade inflation being wound back?
- The 2022 GCSE results will be wound back to a 2019-21 “mid-point”
- Advance notice of GCSE exam topics will be given to GCSE students in certain subjects. This allows such 2022 GCSE students to focus their revision more constructively.
Our Case Study – GCSE assessment evidence
There are several parts to the total evidence base:
- Mock exams are included.
- Plus, teacher judgment of assessed work across each GCSE course.
- As well as core assessment tasks.
LATEST 2022 GCSE EXAM SEASON NEWS
A-Level and GCSE students experiencing anxiety can request a separate exam room. With Headteachers expected to ensure their senior schools can meet these requests (under the Equality Act 2010).
However, most Heads reported (78% in fact) more-than-usual 2022 GCSE exam requests from students to be able to take exams in separate rooms. That is away from their main exam hall.
Similar anxiety-linked results were found from a second survey conducted by the Association of School and College Leaders. The first quervey we quoted was from the Association of Head teachers.
Headteachers of schools with 2022 GCSE pupils report
- Increased stress and anxiety among students had led to a high level of absence. Others report more challenging behaviour, as well as a rise in incidents of self-harm.
- Even worse anxiety levels for many A-level students. This is mainly because these 2022 A-Level students did not sit their 2020 GCSE exams. So do not have previous experience of a stressful exam season that they can draw upon.
- More pupil referrals to local mental health support services than in previous A-Level/GCSE exam seasons.
So senior schools now need to offer increased 2022 GCSE exams support. There’s a wide range of different ways to do this. In particular:
– Help with revision techniques.
– Extra counselling and
– Increased pastoral support.
– Offering wellbeing sessions and
– Building more parental engagement.
2021 GCSE Pass Grades
- On GCSE results day in 2021 GCSE pass grades are based on teachers’ assessments.
What are my options if I fail Maths GCSE or English GCSE?
During 2020-2021, you could:
Appeal your GCSE grade(s)
Where can I find 2022 GCSE exam board guidance and 2022 GCSE pass rate info?
Results days
Students will receive their GCSE results on GCSE results day, the 12 August.
Then a short time in which A Level pupils can appeal their A Level grades.
GCSE grades percentages – – – GCSE pass marks – – – GCSE grade percentage equivalents
So, how will 2022 grades therefore compare to previous GCSE years?
- Remember, the means of determining grades in 2021 is different from normal, so we fully anticipate that the overall grade distribution will look different from 2020 and previous years.
- Some students experienced significant disruption to their education, others experienced less disruption. The ability to provide quality remote education, and to receive and engage with it, has varied from area to area, from school to school, and even from student to student, and family to family, within schools and colleges.
- Where a school/college believes that a student has suffered misfortune that might have affected their performance in an assessment, they have the discretion to take account of that in coming to their judgement.
Where can I find 2022 GCSE exam board guidance and 2022 GCSE pass rate info?
2022 GCSE Ofqual updates
Geography field trips and group dancing will be cut from both the 2022 Geography GCSE and the 2022 Geography A-levels.
So far, the teacher unions have welcomed the regulator’s plans to slim down exam requirements in 2022.
Where can I find 2022 GCSE exam board guidance and 2022 GCSE pass rate info?
‘Normal years’ GCSE pass grades calculations
The new GCSE pass grade is a GCSE Grade 4. This replaces the old GCSE C grade
Thus,
- GCSE Grade 7 approximates to the ‘old school’ GCSE grade ‘A’.
- The new GCSE Grade 4 is similar to the ‘old school’ GCSE Grade C.
- GCSE Grade 3’s may want to resit their GCSE at the next opportunity.
- Strong passes – classified as Grade 5, or higher – are now key measures for schools with pupils taking the new GCSE exams.With the greatest weight given to assessment nearest the end of the GCSE course.
As there are no public exams this year, there will be no “national” grade boundaries for 2021.
- Grade boundaries vary from year to year according to the composition of papers and the exam board’s moderation of standards after marking of scripts has taken place.
- In making decisions about grade boundaries, heads of department will draw on historic grade boundaries from 2017-19 as they relate to the assessment materials used or adapted, and on the exam boards’ published grade descriptors, in order to ensure that the school is conforming as closely as possible to normal grade standards.
The revised 2021 GCSE grade system was devised by Ofqual – the GCSE exams regulator. The aim is for secondary schools to apply a combination of mock exams and coursework to decide GCSE grades 2021.
To summarise the key points about GCSE grades percentages:
- The GCSE 2021 pass marks are still split into 9 grades.
- There are still two pass marks. A 4 is a standard pass and 5 is a strong pass.
- This is the same as previous GCSE exams.
- In other words, a pupil who gets nine grade-4s has, technically, passed all their exams.
Recent historical GCSE Grade Trends
Around 5.3 million entries to GCSE qualifications have been made this year, a rise of 0.4 per cent on 2020.
But there was a sharper increase in entries from year 11 pupils, from 4,756,135 to 4,847,140, a rise of 1.9 per cent.
Ofqual said this was likely to be partly due to a 2 per cent increase in the number of 16 year olds in schools this year.
This is offset by a decrease in entries from younger and older candidates this year.
There was a slight increase in the entries in higher tiers. For example, in biology, 88 per cent of entries were in higher tier compared to 85 per cent last year.
2021 GCSE ENTRIES UP
In 2021 biology GCSE entries were up 3 per cent. Despite all the 2020/21 GCSE disruption, teachers now want to focus their very precious face-to-face teaching time with pupils. Also:
- 021 chemistry GCSE and physics GCSE entries up 4 per cent.
- Geography GCSE entries increased by 4 per cent, and
- English Literature GCSE by 2 per cent.
- Food preparation and nutrition GCSE entries increased by 5 per cent.
- GCSE business studies by 4 per cent.
Our free GCSE Practice resources
- Firstly, our 2022 GCSE pass mark and grade boundaries.
- Then secondly, our 2021 GCSE Revision.
- Thirdly, our new GCSE test exams.
- Plus, our 2021 GCSE mocks tips.
- And also our GCSE Maths practice tests.
- You may also find our GCSE Maths Practice Test Quiz and Our 12+ GCSE practice useful.
Make sure to also visit the pages with exam practice for GCSE English & Other Languages .
2022 GCSE exam board guidance
