THE SCALE
More room at the top
The 9 to 1 scale has more grades above a 4 than the old scale had above a C. A 9 is awarded to fewer students than the old A*.
Check a gradeNumbers replaced letters, with 9 at the top.
GCSEs in England are graded 9 to 1, replacing A* to G. The scales are not directly equivalent, but a few points line up: the bottom of a 7 with the bottom of an A, and the bottom of a 4 with the bottom of a C.
Updated
Check a gradeTHE SHORT ANSWER
Four passes,
seven is an A.
The DfE's GCSE factsheet calls a 4 a standard pass
and a 5 in English or maths a strong pass.
THE PASSES
Standard and strong
The DfE recognises a grade 4 and above as a standard pass in all subjects, and a grade 5 in English or maths as a strong pass in school performance measures.
2026 in numbers
REVIEWS
If a grade looks wrong
Your school or college can request a review of marking with your permission. Marks can go up, down or stay the same.
How reviews workA QUICK GRADE CHECK
What does
this grade mean?
Pick a grade to see how it compares with the old letters and how it is recognised. The bar shows where it sits on the scale.
Comparison points from the Department for Education's GCSE factsheet. The two scales are not directly equivalent.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
2026,
in two numbers.
From 5,720,045 GCSE results issued in England
on 20 August 2026.
67.0%
Results at grade 4 or above
Just 0.1 percentage points down on 2025. London had the most at 71.7%, the West Midlands the fewest at 62.5%.
GRADE 4+ · OFQUAL
21.8%
Results at grade 7 or above
Almost identical to 21.7% in 2025. London had the most at 28.6%, the North East the fewest at 17.7%.
GRADE 7+ · OFQUAL
Among 17-year-olds resitting, 21.0% achieved a grade 4 or above in English language and 16.4% in maths in 2026.
IF YOU THINK A GRADE IS WRONG
Talk to school,
then review.
These steps come from Ofqual's 2026 student guide.
Talk to your school or college
Most exam boards do not accept review requests directly from students. Your school or college asks, with your permission.
Ask to see the paper
Schools can use the exam board's access to scripts service to get a copy of your marked paper, to help decide whether to ask for a review.
Know it can go either way
If a mistake is found, your mark could go up or down, so your grade could rise, fall or stay the same.
Check the deadlines and fees
Exam boards publish deadlines. Fees may apply if the grade does not change; there is no fee if it does.
WHAT A REVIEW CANNOT DO
No extra marks
for being close.
Ofqual says an exam board cannot give extra marks just because a mark was close to a grade boundary, or because you did not get the grade your school predicted.
It adds that in most years only around 20% of students accepted to university meet or exceed their predicted grades, so a lower grade than predicted does not automatically mean something went wrong with marking.
Questions
Questions people ask
What is a pass at GCSE?
The Department for Education's GCSE factsheet says it recognises grade 4 and above as a standard pass in all subjects, and grade 5 and above in English or maths as a strong pass in its headline school performance measure.
What is a grade 7 in old money?
The scales are not directly equivalent, but the bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of the old grade A. The bottom of grade 4 lines up with the bottom of the old C.
Is a grade 9 the same as an A*?
No. Grade 9 is the highest grade and is awarded to fewer students than the old A*.
How did students do in 2026?
Ofqual reported 67.0% of GCSE results in England at grade 4 or above and 21.8% at grade 7 or above, stable compared with 2025.
Can my grade go down after a review?
Yes. If the exam board finds a mistake, the mark could go up or down. If no mistake is found, the mark and grade do not change.
Sources
Where the facts come from
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