GCSE grades explained: 1 - 9 equivalent, and 2023 grade boundaries for OCR, AQA and Edexcel

GCSE results day is finally here, with students across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland finding out the grades they achieved.

The number of top grades achieved in 2023 have fallen in comparison to those achieved in 2022, 2021, and 2020, but have remained higher than in 2019. The drop was steepest in England, as exams regulator Ofqual vowed a full return to pre-pandemic grading, but in Wales and Northern Ireland marking is not expected to return to pre-Covid-19 until 2024.

But how exactly does grading work for GCSEs? What do grades 1 to 9 mean, and how do they compare with A* to G? What are the grade boundaries for 2023, and will they change as results across the cohort are expected to drop? Here’s everything you need to know.

How does the grading system work for GCSEs?

In 2017, the GCSE grading system in England began to change from the traditional A* - G to a numerical system of 9 - 1. Maths, English language, and English literature were the first subjects to move over to the new grading system, with more subjects changing over in 2018 - and the final subjects making the shift by 2020.

At the time, the government said the change was being implemented to bring academic standards in England up to par with other high-performing countries, and to reflect the new and more demanding content of the courses.

As per the new system:

• 9 is equivalent to a high A*
• 8 is equivalent to a middle or low A*
• 7 is equivalent to an A
• 6 is equivalent to a middle to high B
• 5 is equivalent to a low to middle B
• 4 is equivalent to a C
• 3 can be equivalent to either D or E
• 2 can be equivalent to either E or F
• 1 is equivalent to a G
• U is equivalent to U

In Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSEs are still graded based on the A* to G scale.

What are the GCSE grade boundaries for 2023?

A grade boundary dictates the minimum mark you need to achieve a particular grade, whether that be a 9, 4, or 1 in England, or A*, C, or G in Wales and Northern Ireland. Boundaries vary year on year depending on how well a cohort performed.

This prevents students from being penalised with poor grades if the exam was especially challenging; but also means that if lots of students performed well in a particular exam, they will need higher marks to achieve the top grade. Boundaries for each subject are dictated by exam boards once all papers have been marked.

OCR, AQA, and Edexcel have released their own grade boundaries for each subject. You can find the grade boundaries for OCR here, for AQA here, and for Edexcel here.

Will grade boundaries be different this year?

As grade boundaries vary each year, they could be different in 2023 than in previous years. However, they will likely be higher than in 2022, 2021, and 2020 - (meaning you need higher marks to achieve the top grades) - as examiners are trying to bring results back in-line with pre-pandemic levels.

This means it is more worthwhile to compare 2023 grade boundaries with 2019. So, if the 2023 cohort finds this year’s exams more challenging (and that is reflected in their marks), then boundaries might be dropped in comparison with 2019. This would mean you would need a lower mark than before to achieve a 7, 8 or 9.

However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), has said he would “caution” direct comparisons between 2023 and 2019, because of the “disproportionate impact of the pandemic and subsequent cost-of-living crisis on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

He continued: “It is likely that the outcomes for many of these young people will be affected by these factors and this may also impact on the results of schools which serve disadvantaged communities.”