GCSE 9 to 1 grade scale explained
Published 30 June 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-9-to-1-grade-scale-explained/gcse-9-to-1-grade-scale-explained
GCSEs in England have been graded on a 9 to 1 scale since 2017. This replaced the previous A* to G scale.
The current and old scales are set out in the table below.
How does 9 to 1 compare with the old A* to G scale?
The highest grade is 9, the lowest is 1, and U means “ungraded”.
Table: 9 to 1 grading scale compared to previous A* to G scale
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:
-
the bottom of a grade 7 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade A
-
the bottom of grade 4 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade C
-
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.
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.
Wales and Northern Ireland use different GCSE grading scales.
How is the combined science double grade different?
In combined science a ‘double grade’ is awarded. These can either be different or the same (for example 9–9, 9–8, 8–8, 8–7 and so on.
How GCSEs are graded
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.
If you are interested in finding out more about how GCSE, AS and A level grading works there’s lots more information in our Understanding grading toolkit.