Author Archives: Mark Richards
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The Easter Holidays: Revise and Re-energise!
Leave a CommentThis year’s exam season is almost upon us: GCSE exams begin the week beginning 6 May, and AS/A levels kick in the week after. That leaves – at the time of writing – just 6 full weeks left before the exams begin. And, of course, 2 of those weeks are not weeks in school or college; they are the Easter holidays.
And that’s the subject of our latest blog – the importance of making the most of the Easter holidays and of using the time to revise and re-energise.
Making the Most of the Easter Holidays
The Easter break really is – excuse the pun – a Godsend!
After a full day at school or college, it’s difficult to do a significant amount of revision in the evening as well because students are bound to be tired.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that once the exams have begun, they come thick and fast – and they really take it out of you, so revising during this period should be no more than a last chance to go over things; a last minute refresher and putting the proverbial final icing on the cake before each exam.
This is why the Easter break is so important. It offers a run of full days that can be used to really knuckle down to some serious revising.
Plan your time carefully and you’ll be able to achieve a lot during the two weeks. Looking for some extra help? Check out our blog post on how to make a revision schedule.
Getting the Balance Right
Not that we are advocating spending entire days revising for two weeks solid!
That is absolutely not what you should be doing!
Yes, as students start ‘the final push’, they are bound to up the ante a bit – but it is vital that students (and families) get the balance right between revision and relaxation.
There’s a tendency to think that all the rewards and free time can come once all the exams are over.
But, in a way, regular rewards are as important as regular revision.
Do a Little a Lot… but do a lot of it!
The general consensus about good exam revision advice is to revise a little a lot.
Regular and frequent short chunks of revision are always going to be more effective than a 12-hour shift of non-stop revision. BBC bitesize has a helpful article on some top revision techniques to help you find a way of revising which works for you.
And scheduling in little rewards and treats are important to keep the motivation going.
You don’t want to feel completely knackered at the end of the Easter break; you want to feel re-energised!
The Home Straight
Once students return to school or college after the Easter break, they really are in the home straight. The start line will now be in sight.
The Easter holiday provides an opportunity for a young person to take stock and assess where they are at in their various subjects.
A few last minute tutoring sessions can often be just the thing to get you fully ‘match ready’.
Sometimes, it’s a just a bit of tweaking, a fresh pair of eyes and a fresh face that can help solve any last minute worries, problems or concerns a student might have in a subject. Get in touch for a chat if you would like to book a tutor.
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What is PHSE?
Leave a CommentPHSE – Personal Social & Health Education – has taken many forms and gone under several different names over the last 30 or so years in our schools.
At various points over that time, it has been pushed to the fore of the curriculum. However, at times it has also been left for schools to ‘fit in somewhere’ – almost as an afterthought – onto the curriculum.
However, one thing has remained constant: its genuine importance.
Of course, exams and results matter. But they don’t guarantee your personal, social, emotional, and economic wellbeing – or your happiness.
Life is a little bit more complicated than that!
And that’s why PHSE is, was, and always will be a really important part of the school curriculum.
PHSE might not be a compulsory exam subject, but you could argue that there is nothing more vital than supporting a young person’s personal, social, and emotional wellbeing.
At the end of the day, is there anything more important than happiness and good health?
Exactly. That’s why PHSE really matters.
Why PHSE is important
Although the fact can get lost sometimes under the relentless focus on exams, exams, and more exams, there has always been much more to schools than just results.
Schools play a crucial role in young people’s personal, social, and emotional development. Not only that, but schools can also support children’s mental health. To find out more about supporting kids’ mental health in schools, check out our blog post on the matter.
Emotional well-being and self-esteem should not be underestimated, not just during your school days but also in later life.
A carefully planned PHSE curriculum delivered well in schools can go a long way in breaking down a young person’s self-limiting beliefs and perceptions. Such a mindset can seriously stifle aspirations and make it much harder to achieve.
Happiness is the key
Happiness in life trumps everything else.
When you are happy, it is much easier to cope with the challenges of GCSEs. When you are happy, you are best placed to thrive in your chosen career. You are also far more likely to be able to build and maintain friendships and relationships.
What brings you happiness is a complex question, and a lot will depend on the individual. However, a common denominator is confidence.
Having confidence in yourself and who you are and the confidence to cope with anything that life throws at you will go a long way in bringing you happiness.
And that’s another reason why PHSE is so important.
No other element of the curriculum has such a focus on the developing ‘the whole person’.
No other subject has the potential to future proof a young person for later life.
Nothing else at school can help young people to develop the resilience, confidence, and emotional intelligence needed to lead a happy and successful life.
The Talk is a new video learning platform aimed at providing teachers with all the information, tools and resources needed to deliver an engaging and modern PHSE syllabus.
The Talk’s vision is to revolutionise the way PHSE education is delivered in schools. The platform is designed to teach young people essential skills for life through dynamic content.
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The Difference Between Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Leave a CommentLearning Objectives and Learning Outcomes have been a fixture of most lessons in schools for close on thirty years now. But there is still a fair bit of confusion around what they are, how they are different, and why they are important.
So, let’s try and make everything crystal clear!
How Are Learning Objectives and Outcomes Different?
In simple terms, an objective sets out the knowledge or skill that is being introduced, developed, and learned by students during the lesson.
The outcome, meanwhile, is the work or evidence that the students will produce during the lesson. Typically, this is used to measure how effectively the objective has been met.
Why are Learning Objectives Important?
It is slightly punitive and unfair to judge the quality of a lesson on its shared learning objective. An appropriate and suitable learning objective has the power to bring all the elements of a quality lesson together.
And many a lesson has lost its effectiveness because of an unclear or inappropriate learning objective.
What Should a Learning Objective Include?
To achieve consistency, many schools instruct their teachers to follow a particular model. Some will ask their staff to frame learning objectives in a certain way. Of course, this makes sense as it helps it to become familiar for the students.
So, there are several possible ways that you can word a lesson or learning objective. And while it’s all just an issue of semantics, there are couple of non-negotiables when it comes to writing a good learning outcome.
Firstly, a learning objective should focus purely on the learning that is going to occur in the lesson. Essentially, lessons should be focused of one of two things: knowledge or skills.
If you want to understand more about which one to focus on, check out this helpful blog about balancing the two.
Include anything else and it will be flannel, superfluous – and quite possibly unclear.
Secondly, learning objectives should always be student-focused.
An objective needs to be concise and accessible for all students. The aim is to make it clear to students the point of the lesson ahead.
To this end, it’s always important to take time at the start of a lesson to introduce and explain the learning objective – especially if there are any specific key words or terminology to be covered in the lesson.
Should Learning Objectives Be Measurable?
Yes, and this is where the learning outcome comes in.
If there is an objective or aim to any lesson, there must be some form of measurement to check that this has been achieved by the end of the lesson.
Therefore, the learning outcome should measure the progress students have made towards meeting the learning objective.
This means that the wording of a learning objective needs to be precise, focused, and really specific to the aspect of knowledge or the skill that the students need to know.
The broader, more general, or less specific an objective is, the less effective the learning will be.
Finally, a learning objective should never be task-driven. Studies around how we learn best indicate that an objective acts like a North star to help guide the learner. If you want to learn more about the science behind learning, check out this article.
Therefore, the objectives are not the activities the students will complete during the lesson.
The objective must come first, this should then be followed up with a sequence of activities that work together and help the students to achieve the objective.
The tasks in the lesson should be seen as the implementation of the learning.
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A New Year’s Resolution, For Teachers… Finally!
Leave a CommentThe new term is underway, and you’re settled back into the swing of things.
Now is the time for teachers to think about setting a New Year’s Resolution or two for the months ahead.
Here are a few suggestions:
New Year’s Resolution Number 1: Be More Organised
Many teachers start the year well but then things start to slide.
Being organised doesn’t necessarily guarantee you will have a great lesson, day, or week, of course. However, if you are continually disorganised and running around chasing your tail, those good and great days will be few and far between.
And the thing with being disorganised is that it never gets better – it always gets worse.
So, Resolution Number 1 has got to be to get more organised!
Whether it’s to try to get to school 5 or 10 minutes earlier, or to vow to keep your desk tidier, any small way that you can try to be more organised will help.
It should even result in you having a calmer and less stressful day.
It will make you feel on top of your workload. For any teacher, this is massive.
If you’d like to read more around how you can get a little more organised on a weekly basis, check out this handy blog from asana!
Resolution Number 2: Take Less Work Home
Work/life balance is a major issue for any teacher. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
However, teachers are sometimes their own worst enemies. If you set out to take less work home – either on certain days or at the weekend (occasionally), you will stop the blurring of school and home.
And it might even stop you feeling like you are working all the time.
How do you do this?
You can try to work smarter when you are setting homework to reduce the marking load.
Is there a day of the week when you could stay in school to work later to finish things off and prepare for the next day? It’s a great feeling to get home and know that all your time that evening is for you, your kids, or your partner.
Listen, you’re a teacher, so realistically you’re never going to make every night like that.
But once or twice a week, or just every once in a while, would be nice, wouldn’t it?
Resolution Number 3: Prioritise Your Own Wellbeing
As teachers, we are wired to put our students first. It sometimes seems difficult to prioritise our own mental health and wellbeing. We feel guilty if we put ourselves first.
However, this is the most important resolution of all.
Putting your mental health first will not only make you a better teacher, but it will also make you a better parent, partner, family member, and friend.
You will know what it is that is good for you and what works for your wellbeing, but typically if you try to eat healthily, get regular exercise, and give yourself time to spend on a hobby or interest, you will get a big mental health boost.
It will certainly help to eliminate stress – something we’ve discussed here previously.
You will be happier, have more energy, and be far better placed to take on the challenges of teaching, and whatever else life throws at you.
It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it?
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A Guide for new Year 7 students: What to expect in the first week of high school
Leave a CommentStarting secondary school is a major milestone in anybody’s life. It’s quite possible that it’s the most nerve-wracking event that any 11-year-old has had to face in their young lives up to that point.
For some, there might be a degree of excitement about the prospect of starting at ‘big school’. However, those feelings are likely to be mixed up with a lot of worry, nervousness, and anxiety.
And that’s the first important point to make here: those feelings are completely normal.
It’s totally okay to be feeling that way.
If you talk to your friends about it, you’ll probably find that they are feeling the same way too.
If you talk to an older brother or sister – or your parents – about how they felt about going into secondary school, you’ll probably find that they understand exactly what you are going through because they felt the same way when they were your age.
Don’t bottle your feelings up inside though – talk to people.
It is a bit of a cliché… but it really is good to talk!
The biggest difference: Size and scale
The biggest single difference of secondary school is the sheer size of it.
Typically, Year 6 at your primary school will have been just 1 class of kids. Year 7 at your new high school might have 6, 7, 8… maybe as many as 10 classes (called forms). This means that the year group you are becoming a part of in September could have more kids in it than the entire primary school you have just left!
And remember there are Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 (and possibly a sixth form) as well.
Because of that, everything just seems to be on a much bigger scale at secondary school.
The thing is… your old primary school will have seemed huge to you at first too when you started there.
But before you knew it, you got used to it and knew your way around it like the back of your hand.
The same thing will happen in secondary school. It might take a bit longer, but you’ll get there.
You’ll be given a map of your school and advice about how to get around. In the first few days many schools ask teachers to collect students and take them to classrooms to make it easier for you to get used to it all.
On that note, you won’t just be thrown in at the deep end at all as you begin secondary school. The start of the school year is usually staggered – so you’ll find that on the day you start, there might only be one or two year groups in school. This makes it less overwhelming.
Similarly, Year 7 often have a longer lunch or have it at a different time from the rest of the school for the first few days – again, this is to make you feel more comfortable and to help you get more used to things.
Don’t worry about the ‘rest of the school’ either. Yes, those Year 11s might seem big and scary but, in general, they are far more bothered and interested in each other to give the new Year 7s a thought.
5 lessons a day: Different subjects and teachers
The other major difference between primary and secondary school is that you have different teachers for different subjects. Whereas in primary, you largely found that you stayed in one place with one teacher, there’s a lot more moving about and changing around during the high school day.
This will take some getting used to – but you will get used to it!
Information, information, information
Secondary schools go to lot and time and trouble to make the transition from primary school easier for students. But one thing you can be sure of is that you will be bombarded with a lot of information: rules, policies, expectations, advice – you name it, you’ll get a lot of it in your first week.
Although it might all might seem a bit overwhelming and too much to take in, the good news is that most of this info will also be written down for you – in your planners, on posters, on the school website.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your new teachers if you don’t understand something. They are there to help!
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How To Motivate Your Teenager
Leave a CommentDo you struggle to motivate your teenager?
Don’t worry if you do – you’re not alone!
After all, parenting isn’t easy – and it can get particularly difficult during the teenage years.
So, how do you get them motivated? How do you get them to pay attention and try harder at school? How do you get them to put more effort into homework and revision?
And just how do you get them to care about their futures as much as you do?
Well, if we had all the answers, we probably wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing now. We’d be sitting on a beach, sipping cocktails, counting the millions we’d earned from solving the problems of millions of parents the world over…
So, no, we haven’t got a water-tight, fool-proof set of genius answers – unfortunately.
But we have got a few great tips that we know work well…
Rewards and Sanctions
The go-to approach for many parents and teachers is some sort of system of rewards and punishments. Indeed, this is the cornerstone of most school behaviour policies.
The thing is – although the carrot and stick approach seems like a simple way to motivate teenagers – research shows that rewards and punishments don’t usually lead to long-term motivation.
It can have limited, short-term success and – for example – if your teen is currently in Year 11 and approaching their GCSEs, it might just be the thing to give them an incentive for ‘a final push’ before their exams.
However, on the flip side, use them too much and you run the risk of teaching your teenager that they only do something if there’s a reward at the end of it. The reward becomes an expectation.
And that’s a dangerous message to send out when all is said and done!
And, ideally, you want to motivate your teenager from Day 1 of Year 10 rather than just the last few weeks of Year 11. You want to instil in them a love of learning and taking on challenges.
It must come from them.
So, often a different approach is needed.
Inner Motivation is the Key
The secret to motivating your teenager is to fuel their self-motivation. The trick is to develop self-discipline.
The problem with micromanaging your teenager is it soon feels like nagging; the downside of giving pep talks is that they can quickly turn into lectures.
The problem comes with the territory. Most teenagers follow strict rules and schedules. To them, it can often feel like they have little control over their day-to-day routines. This all comes at a time in their lives when they are discovering their personality and developing their individuality.
Their desire for more autonomy and independence is only natural. When they don’t feel as if they are getting this, the result is that many teenagers feel powerless, frustrated, and unmotivated.
Want to know the secret to how to motivate your teenager? Give your teen autonomy
One great way of respecting your teen’s autonomy is to set rules, consequences, and routines together. Another way is to encourage open dialogue and communication. Talk to them and listen to what they have to say – even if it really isn’t what you want to hear!
Creating a positive environment in the home helps teenagers to feel understood rather than judged or criticised. Lack of confidence is often at the root of a lack of motivation. If your teenager is lacking either confidence or motivation in a particular subject, a tutor can be a great help. Get in touch with the TutorRight team to find out more.
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How to Make a Revision Schedule
Leave a Comment“How do I make a revision timetable?” It’s probably one of the most asked questions that students ask teachers and tutors. The bottom line is that there is no single right way to do it. Ultimately, if it works for you, it’s right!
However, there are some basic principles and top tips to follow. If you stick to these, you will be well on the way to creating your perfect revision schedule.
How to Make a Revision Schedule: Guiding Principles to Follow
There are a few guiding principles to bear in mind. Firstly, most of your effort should be focused on the topics/questions that carry the most marks and the topics that you are least confident with.
Secondly, you should measure your progress based on topic coverage, rather than how much time you have spent revising. Finally, be prepared to adapt your revision timetable according to the rate at which you can confidently understand and memorise information.
If you can, go Digital
It’s a really good idea to use Google Calendar. Not only is it available on both Android and iOS but it also means that your revision schedule will always be with you. After all, your smartphone is always with you, right?
The other (even more important) reason is the flexibility it gives you. You can make changes quickly and easily. Although a revision schedule is there to be followed, it isn’t set in stone. It’s likely that you will need to make adjustments to it from time to time. If you use Google Calendar, changes and updates can be made cleanly.
How much time have you got?
You need to figure out how much time you actually have to revise. There is a need to strike a balance between being ambitious and being realistic. You can’t revise every hour of the day. And, even if you feel you need to, it wouldn’t do you any good anyway – you would just burn yourself out.
You need to factor in all your normal commitments and day-to-day activities. Importantly, make sure that you include time for rest, relaxation, and free time. In the weeks and months running up to your exams, you might spend less time on these things – but you should never do away with them completely!
Prioritise by Subject or Topic
You need to decide which subjects you currently feel the most and least confident about. Other factors to consider are where your exams sit on your exam timetable and what your current grades look like. The key to prioritising is being honest about where you’re at right now.
On that note, don’t avoid the topics you are least confident about and find most difficult. In fact, these are exactly the ones you should be prioritising!
Revise a little, a lot
There’s a temptation to say you are going to spend 10 hours revising a certain topic so that you’ll know it inside out. The reality is that such a revision marathon will probably be a waste of time.
It’s much more effective to revise a little, a lot. 30-minute bursts are the best. Of course, momentum is a great thing. Just because you have allocated a 30-minute time slot, it doesn’t mean that you must stop the moment you reach the 30-minute mark. If you have built some momentum up, keep going for a bit longer! Don’t take a break just because your timetable says so – take one when you need it.
Finally, if at first, you don’t succeed, don’t give up!
There are bound to be times when things go wrong: topics you can’t master, sessions you might miss… there will be setbacks – but don’t let these set you back too much.
And remember, a private tutor can really help you make sense of it all. Get in touch if you think you could do with some help. It’s what we’re here for!
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Becoming a Senior Leader in Education
Leave a CommentShould I apply for a senior leadership position in a school?
It’s a question that many teachers working in schools ask themselves at some point. The correct answer to the above question will depend on the individual, of course – but if it is a question that has come into your head recently, you’ll want to make sure that you get the answer to it right. So, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of becoming a senior leader in education.
Becoming a senior leader: an opportunity to make a difference
It’s kind of why you became a teacher in the first place, isn’t it? The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and young people is one of the privileges of the profession.
And the opportunity to make a difference needs to be at the forefront of your mind when you are considering whether to try to become a senior leader or not.
Let me explain… as a ‘classroom teacher,’ you make a difference for the pupils you teach. Your classroom is your kingdom, and it is between those four walls that the magic is made.
The thing is that the impact you can have on pupils is limited to those four walls.
When you are a middle leader, such as a Head of Department, you now have an opportunity to have an impact on a wider cohort of young people – and the step up again to senior leadership will take your responsibility and potential impact on a whole-school level.
If you want to become a senior leader, you need to demonstrate that you have had an impact at a whole-school level. Taking on a whole-school project or initiative is an excellent way to do this. Getting more involved on a departmental basis is also a great idea. You need to show that you have an interest in departmental and whole-school issues.
Is a role as a Senior Leader in Education what you really want?
Perhaps most importantly you need to be sure that senior leadership is the right move for you. Yes, the desire to have a greater impact across the whole school is a big attraction – but do you know what the role will entail?
Generally, the people who move into middle leadership and then senior leadership do so, initially, because they are some of the most promising and best classroom teachers in a school. Promotion seems like a natural step. But the further up the management ladder you go, the less time you will spend teaching in the classroom.
The prospect of teaching kids is why we all entered the profession and what we all really love. You’ll be doing a lot less of it when you become a senior leader.
Also, bear in mind that the best classroom practitioners don’t always make the best leaders and managers. In fact, there are quite different skill sets needed.
Apply for the right position for you
Once you have decided that senior leadership is the right move for you, you shouldn’t just apply for any role as a senior leader in education that you see. Look carefully at the job description and what the role would involve. Make sure that it matches both your interests and your skills.
Once you’ve got there – what can you expect?
Senior leadership can be very tough and there’s always a lot of pressure – but it’s also incredibly rewarding. It really feels like you are shaping the direction a school is moving in – because you really are! That is a real privilege.
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Everything you need to know about the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ GCSE Exam Question
Leave a CommentWith February being the month of romance, it seems appropriate to take a close look at one of the most romantic stories of all time – Shakespeare’s classic tale of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. So, while there’s romance in the air, let’s spread the love with some top tips for how to answer the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ GCSE exam question.
This tragic play, depicting the lives and deaths of two star-crossed lovers, is one of the most loved works in literary history.
And, of course, there’s also the little matter of the fact that ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a text on the GCSE English Literature exam.
The ‘Romeo and Juliet’ exam question: What to expect?
First and foremost, let’s deal with the basics. What can you expect on the exam? Regardless of whether you are studying the AQA or the Eduqas syllabus, the demands of the questions are very similar. There will be a short extract from the play printed on the paper. The question will then ask to focus on a particular character or theme in the given extract.
The AQA exam will then ask you to write about the same character or theme in the whole play. For example:
Starting with this conversation, explore how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet.
Write about:
- how Shakespeare presents their relationship in this conversation
- how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet in the play as a whole.
The Eduqas exam will also ask you to focus on a character or theme in the extract, but the second – separate – the question could ask you to write about another aspect of the whole play. For example:
Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following question:
Look at how Juliet and the Nurse speak and behave here. How do you think an audience might respond to this part of the play? Refer closely to details from the extract to support your answer. For which of the male characters in Romeo and Juliet do you have the most sympathy? Write about how Shakespeare creates sympathy for your chosen character.
So, how do you approach the task?
Focus on what the question is asking you to do
It sounds obvious, but one of the biggest mistakes students make is not focusing on what the question is asking them to do closely enough. Many simply write down the main things that they can remember about the play; choose a few quotes to back up the points they have made; and make the occasional comment about Shakespeare’s language.
Of course, some of all that will be relevant but certainly not all of it.
You need to make sure your answer remains totally focused on the demands of the question, from the outset.
Take this example:
Starting with this conversation, explore how Shakespeare presents aggressive male behaviour in Romeo and Juliet.
Write about:
- how Shakespeare presents aggressive male behaviour in this conversation
- how Shakespeare presents aggressive male behaviour in the play as a whole.
You need to come up with a statement – an argument – that sums up the main points you are going to make in your answer, such as:
‘In the extract and throughout the play as a whole Shakespeare presents male aggression through every male character – with the exception of Benvolio. This aggression is one of the main reasons why things go wrong during the play of Romeo and Juliet.’
Using Quotes
One thing you can be sure of is that you will be expected to use quotes from across the play in your answer. Have a few saved up about characters and themes. However, there’s a lot to remember so it’s best to keep them short and sweet; easy to remember; and to select ones that say a lot about the story.
‘The Prologue’ – right at the start of the play – is as good a place as any to look: “ancient grudge” shows that the problems between the Montague and Capulet families are deep-rooted and long-standing. Similarly, both “star-crossed lovers” and “death-marked love” show that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship was doomed to end in tragedy from the beginning.
If your son or daughter is struggling with the Shakespeare question, hopefully, this blog will have helped a little bit…
But one of our English tutors would be able to help them even more – with ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and all aspects of GCSE English Language and English Literature. Get in touch for a chat to find out more.
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GCSE Grades Explained: A guide for parents and students
Leave a CommentIn England GCSEs are now graded using a numerical system running from 9-1, rather than A* to G – a system that had been in place since GCSE Grades replaced the old ‘O’ Levels in the late 80s. This has caused – for parents and students alike – a fair amount of confusion. Many ask questions, such as: What do these numbers mean? What is a Grade 9 equivalent to? What is a pass at GCSE?
But, have no fear… TutorRight are here to answer all these questions and more with our handy guide ‘GCSE Grades Explained: A guide for parents and students’.
So, without further ado, let’s get explaining…
When and why were GCSE grades changed?
Before we get started, it makes sense first to explain when and why the GCSE grades were changed.
The new numerical grading was introduced as part of a wider curriculum overhaul carried out by the Conservative government in 2014 by the then-Education Secretary, Michael Gove. It was perceived that too much emphasis had been placed on GCSE coursework. The reformed examination system sought to make the GCSEs more challenging and to make almost all subjects assessed by final exams taken after two years of study. This replaced the old model of assessment which favoured regular assessments through a series of modules.
It was argued that the new numerical scale recognised “more clearly the achievements of high-attaining students.” This is because the additional grades created allow for greater differentiation. Essentially, students can now gain ‘higher’ levels of each grade, instead of simply a standard grade. All exams now contain more extended writing, essay-style questions. It was also explained that the move to numbered grades would make it clear to employers that students had taken the more challenging GCSE.
The new reformed GCSEs were introduced gradually between 2017 and 2019, beginning with English and Maths. By 2020, all GCSEs had adopted the new number graded system.
What are the new grades?
The highest grade is now 9, with 1 being the lowest. The U grade, meaning “ungraded”, remains the same.
The number scale is not directly equivalent to the old letter one. However, the two scales do meet in certain places:
- the bottom of the new grade 7 is equivalent with the bottom of the old grade A;
- the bottom of the new grade 4 is equivalent with the bottom of the old grade C;
- the bottom of new grade 1 is equivalent with the bottom of the old grade G;
- three of the new number grades – 9, 8 and 7 – correspond to the two previous top old grades of A* and A.
What do pupils need to pass their exams?
A grade 4 is a standard pass and a 5 is a ‘strong’ pass. Technically, a student who gets all grade 4s has passed all their exams. However, school league tables are based on the percentage of pupils who achieve a grade 5 or above in English and Maths. Also, bear in mind that many sixth forms and colleges will ask for 5s in certain subjects as an entry requirement – although this varies, and most schools and colleges are quite flexible.
What is a GCSE Point Score?
You may have also heard about something called a ‘GCSE Point Score’. Again, like league tables, these are more of a concern for school leaders than individual students, as they are measurements the government uses to judge schools by. However, just so you know, your GCSE Point Score is basically your average grade over all your GCSEs. So, if you took 10 GCSEs and achieved a Grade 8, 5 Grade 7s; 2 Grade 6s, and 2 Grade 5s, your average point score would be 6.5. With a Grade 5 being a ‘strong’ pass, any point score above 5 would be considered strong.
Finally – in old money – a Grade 7 is the equivalent of a Grade A. A Grade 6 is just above an old Grade B. Grade 5 is between a B and a C; and Grade 4 is equivalent to a Grade C.
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