Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the 2023 GCSEs (But Were Afraid to Ask!)
Summary
More revision = better GCSE results. Always.
It is impossible to start revising too early. And last-minute revision can earn vital marks that make a crucial difference to your final grade. So, no matter what stage of study you are at, now is exactly the right time to start revising. What are you waiting for? Pick your subject and start learning now!
Select subject and start revising now:
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In the app you can save your progress and earn medals or trophies. Get it on Appstore or Play store!
What Do the Letters GCSE Actually Stand For?
You’d be surprised by how many people with GCSEs don’t know this! GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. They are academic qualifications that are usually taken by students aged 14-16 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland before they leave compulsory education. GCSEs were first introduced in 1986 but had a major overhaul in 2016. In England, this meant the A* to F grades were replaced by a 9 to 1 grading system (with 9 being the highest).
GCSE qualifications are often required by potential employers. They are also needed to gain access to most further education college courses such as A levels and BTEC Nationals.
What Subjects Can I Study at GCSE Level?
There are an enormous number of GCSE subjects available. However, no school offers the option of studying every GCSE subject. The GCSEs available vary from school to school but almost all teach:
- English Language
- English Literature
- Mathematics
- Science (either combined or as separate GCSEs in Physics, Biology and Chemistry)
- History
- Geography
- Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish, French, German etc)
- Art and Design
- Religious Studies
- Music
- Physical Education
The other subjects offered are affected by a school’s location, the backgrounds of its students and the specialisms of the teachers available. Some schools offer GCSEs in Welsh, Business Studies. Astronomy, Classical Civilisations and many, many more.
What Are the GCSE Exam Boards and Why Do I Need to Know About Them?
Exam boards create the content specifications, set and mark the examination papers and decide on grade boundaries. The five exam boards are:
- AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance)
- OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations)
- Edexcel (sometimes referred to as Pearson)
- WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee)
- CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment - mostly covering Northern Ireland)
Schools choose exam boards on a subject-by-subject basis. For example, your school may select Edexcel for Mathematics but AQA for Physics and OCR for History. It is important you know which exam board your school has chosen for every subject you study. This is because each exam board has slightly different content specifications, question formats and exam papers.
If your school uses Edexcel for Maths, you need to practice for the exam using Edexcel GCSE Maths past papers. If you just search for GCSE Maths past papers or GCSE Maths revision, you could end up practicing using AQA GCSE Maths past papers. The format, question types and demands of each board’s exam papers can be quite different. This means you could end up familiarizing yourself with topics and question types that you won’t ever need. If you have engaged a maths tutor to help with your revision, they will need to know which board your school has chosen.
When Do GCSE Results Come Out?
The exact date that GCSE results are released varies every year but it is always on a Thursday in late August. In 2023, the date is Thursday 24th August. This is the same regardless of the exam board or whether you are in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. However, it is a good idea to check with your school for the exact arrangements of how you will receive your results.
What Are the GCSE Exam Dates In 2023?
The first GCSE exam is set to take place on Friday of 12th May and the last one is scheduled to happen on Wednesday 21st of June. All dates are subject to change so it is vital you or your school continue to monitor the 2023 GCSE timetables.
Each exam board has published its own 2023 GCSE timetable.
- The AQA timetable can be found here.
- The OCR timetable can be found here.
- The Edexcel timetable can be found here.
- The WJEC/Eduqas timetable can be found here.
- The CCEA timetable can be found here.
What Are the GCSE Grade Boundaries?
Grade boundaries vary from subject to subject, exam board to exam board and year to year. So it is very difficult to give even rough estimates on GCSE grade boundaries. The table below contains the GCSE Maths, Physics, and Biology grade boundaries for the four main exam boards in 2022.
GCSE Maths Grade Boundaries
GCSE Physics Grade Boundaries
GCSE Biology Grade Boundaries for Biology
You can find out the grade boundaries for previous years too.
GCSE Past Papers
All of the exam boards make their Maths, Physics and Biology GCSE past papers available to use as revision aids.
- AQA’s GCSE Maths past papers are here.
- AQA’ GCSE Biology past papers are here.
- AQA GCSE Physics past papers are here.
- Edexcel’s GCSE Maths past papers are here.
- Edexcel’s GCSE Biology past papers are here.
- Edexcel’s GCSE Physics past papers are here.
- OCR’s GCSE Maths past papers are here.
- OCR’s GCSE Biology past papers are here.
- OCR’s GCSE Physics past papers are here.
- WJEC’s GCSE Maths past papers are here.
That's quite a lot to take in isn't it? But did we miss anything? If there’s something else you’d like to know or think we should include, tell us at support@hialbert.co.uk
More revision = better GCSE results. Always.
It is impossible to start revising too early. And last-minute revision can earn vital marks that make a crucial difference to your final grade. So, no matter what stage of study you are at, now is exactly the right time to start revising. What are you waiting for? Pick your subject and start learning now!
App download
In the app you can save your progress and earn medals or trophies. Get it on Appstore or Play store!