GCSE 9 to 1 grade scale explained聽
Published 30 June 2025
Applies to England
漏 Crown copyright 2025
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GCSEs in England have been graded on a 9 to 1 scale since 2017. This replaced the previous A* to G scale.聽
The current and old scales are set out in the table below.聽
How does 9 to 1 compare with the old A* to G scale?聽
The highest grade is 9, the lowest is 1, and U means 鈥渦ngraded鈥�.聽聽
Table: 9 to 1 grading scale compared to previous A* to G scale聽
The number scale is not directly equivalent to the old letter one. But if you are still used to thinking about the old A* to G grading scale, the old and current grading scales are comparable at the following points:聽
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the bottom of a grade 7 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade A
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the bottom of grade 4 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade C聽
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the bottom of grade 1 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade G
So for example, if an employer used to set entry requirements of at least a grade C, the equivalent is to require at least grade 4.聽
DfE policy states that students who are awarded a grade 3 or below in maths and/or English must be offered support to make progress in the respective subject(s) if continuing to further education. 聽
and use different GCSE grading scales.聽
How is the combined science double grade different?聽
In combined science a 鈥榙ouble grade鈥� is awarded.聽 These can either be different or the same (for example 9鈥�9, 9鈥�8, 8鈥�8, 8鈥�7 and so on.聽
How GCSEs are graded聽
After GCSE exams have been marked, they are graded using a combination of data and expert examiner judgment. New grade boundaries are set each year to reflect the difficulty of each paper, and to ensure that it is no easier or harder to get a grade in any given year.鈥��
If you are interested in finding out more about how GCSE, AS and A level grading works there鈥檚 lots more information in our Understanding grading toolkit.