News Article 14

Pass Mark raised for GCSE's this September

Pupils will have to score more highly to gain a "good pass" in their GCSEs, under changes to England's exams.

Candidates will have to obtain a Grade 5, equivalent to a low B or high C now, as grading switches to numbers nine to one in exams to be taken first in 2017.

The aim is to make standards comparable to top-performing countries such as Finland, Canada, and the Netherlands. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan says raising the bar on GCSE exams will help pupils achieve in life. The new grading system, which replaces the A to G system with a new nine-to-one numbered scale, comes as new "more rigorous" GCSEs are being introduced for first teaching this September.

The new grading system has been designed to reveal the differences between candidates at the top end. Currently, candidates are expected to achieve a C to attain a "good pass", although grades below this are still officially considered passes.

New GCSEs

• GCSEs to be graded from nine to one, replacing A*-to-G grades
• Grade 9 will be highest
• Grade 5 will be considered a good pass, equivalent to a current low B or high C. It will be linked to standards in high performing countries
• Grade 4 will be equivalent to current low C grade
• Grade 1 will be lowest
• Introduced for new-style GCSEs in English and maths to be taught from September 2015
• First of new exam grades awarded summer 2017

I do think this is a better more reliable way to understand which students are more ready and will strive more from going on to take A-Levels. However I also think that it'll make it a lot harder for more students to achieve the grades they are aiming for as they'll have to work so much harder to even get a 4 (C grade) therefore making it more difficult to get into colleges or 6th forms which will stop them from going onto further education such as university. They'll have a lot less opportunities in life if they do not get the grades.