GCSE Results 2024: Information And Next Steps For Teachers And School Leaders

GCSE results 2024 will be available on 22nd August 2024. Here’s where we will update with information on GCSE results day and particularly what the picture looks like for the maths exams.

GCSE Maths 2024: Stay up to date

Join our email list to stay up to date with the latest news, revision lists and resources for GCSE maths 2024. We’re analysing each paper during the course of the 2024 GCSEs in order to identify the key topic areas to focus on for your revision.

Thursday 16th May 2024: GCSE Maths Paper 1 2024 Analysis & Revision Topic List
Monday 3rd June 2024: GCSE Maths Paper 2 2024 Analysis & Revision Topic List
Monday 10th June 2024: GCSE Maths Paper 3 2024 Analysis

GCSE 2024 dates
GCSE results 2023

When is GCSE results day 2024?

GCSE results day 2024 is on Thursday 22nd August 2024. Schools usually open at 8am for students to pick up their GCSE results. Schools will receive the GCSE results the day before so this year it will be on Wednesday 21st August.

Students do not receive their official GCSE certificates on this day, the student receives these at a later date. However, they will receive a Candidate Statement of Provisional results stating their GCSE grades for each exam board.

GCSE exams 2024

For the first time in four years, the GCSE summer exams were back to their full 2019 format with no advanced information. Initially, it was thought there would also be no formula sheets but GCSE exam boards relented. In the 2024 maths GCSEs, 16-year-olds were allowed formula sheets in maths as in previous years post-Covid 19 pandemic. This leaves teachers wondering how the maths 2024 grading standards will reflect this.

It is thought that in 2025 Key Stage 4 students will once again be without formula sheets. Here are 18 maths formulas students need to learn for the 2025 GCSE summer exams.

While the results of this year’s cohorts’ hard work are not out yet, here’s a full analysis of all 3 2024 GCSE maths papers:

What if students don’t achieve their required grades?

If students’ GCSE results aren’t the grades they need to go on to study through their planned pathway, there are several things schools can do to help.

1. Contact the student’s next education provider

Advise students to contact their chosen education provider and see whether they can continue with their current GCSE grades. Some providers may still accept them.

If a student’s place is withdrawn, schools can help students contact other education providers to see whether they will accept the student with the lower grades.

2. Appeal the GCSE result

Schools can appeal their given grades if they believe a mistake has been made in the marking process and have a second examiner check the paper.

There are two key dates for appealing GCSE grades. These deadlines are for:

1. Requesting a priority copy of the marked paper
2. Submitting a request to review the marking

These dates differ for each exam board. It is best to check the Edexcel, AQA, OCR or other exam board websites depending on the school’s use.

3. Students may resit an exam

If students are unhappy with their GCSE results, they may choose to resit an exam. But it is worth considering they may score lower on the resit.

Any students achieving lower than a grade 4 in English or maths must resit the exam as a requirement.

When are GCSE resits 2024?

Maths and English resits will take place in November of 2024. Resits for other exams will be during the 2024 exam season.

The final timetable for these exams has now been released

• Wednesday 6th November 2024 – Maths paper 1 (Edexcel, OCR & AQA) Non-Calculator
• Friday 8th November 2024  – Maths paper 2 (Edexcel, OCR & AQA) Calculator
• Monday 11th November 2024 – Maths paper 3 (Edexcel, OCR & AQA) Calculator

GCSE results 2023

The GCSE results 2023, including GCSE maths and GCSE English, were down from 2022, but remained higher than 2019, which was the last set of pre-pandemic results. In 2023, GCSE grade boundaries across each exam board were set to the pre-pandemic format, offering little additional protection from any disruption to students’ learning. Consequently, GCSE outcomes in 2023 were lower than in 2022 due to the pre-pandemic grading.

Analysis of GCSE maths papers in 2023 

The maths results for 2023 saw a drop in the proportion of GCSE entries achieving grade 4 and above to 72.3%. This figure bears resemblance to pre-pandemic levels, such as the 2019 results figure of 71.5%. There was a higher proportion of higher grades (5-9) and a lower proportion of top GCSE grades (1-4) comparing to 2019.

Find out more about previous exam content with these detailed breakdowns:

• Analysis of GCSE maths topics from 2017 to 2023 GCSE Foundation papers
• Analysis of GCSE maths topics from 2017 to 2023 GCSE Higher papers
• GCSE maths 2023: Summary of all papers (Foundation and Higher)
• GCSE maths grade boundaries
• Standardised Scores: What Do They Mean?

Other GCSE results

GCSEs results 2022

The GCSE results 2022 were lower than last year and the previous year for young people sitting the exams, which was to be expected. However, these figures remained higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 results, with the 2022 results being deemed a ‘midpoint’ between 2019 and 2021.

For sixteen-year-olds sitting the exams, 75.3% of all GCSEs across all subjects and ages were awarded a grade 4 (pass mark) or above. 

GCSEs results 2021

In 2021, grades were awarded by teachers, as opposed to examiners, based on what grade they believe a student would have earned if they had sat the exam. Mock exams, in-class tests, and other non-exam teacher assessments that had already been completed were used to assess students’ performance.

Exam results in 2021 were even higher than in 2020, with the rate of students achieving 7 and above rising to 28.9% in 2021, from 26.2% in 2020. The rate of those who earned a 4 and above rose to 77.1% in 2021 up from 76.3% in 2020.

GCSE results 2020

In 2020, an algorithm developed by Ofqual was designed to assign GCSE grades. Centre assessments were to be put through the model which used schools’ past performance and expected national outcomes to ‘standardise’ grades. The exam regulator offered protection to students that accounted for disruption to their learning.

In response to controversy over how a similar model had down-graded A-Level results, this plan was scrapped three days before GCSE results were announced, with results instead coming from students’ centre assessment grade or calculated grade, whichever was higher.

In 2020, the proportion of GCSE candidates receiving the highest three grades rose from 21.9% in 2019 to 27.6% in 2020. Students achieving a 4 or above rose from 70% to 79% in England. In maths, the proportion of students who gained a 7 and above rose from 20% to 24%, and those who gained a 4 and above rose from 71.5% to just above 77%.

Free GCSE maths revision resources

You are free to download any resource from the extensive library of free secondary maths resources, worksheets, formula sheets and GCSE maths topic lists for AQA, Edexcel and OCR – all have been made by teacher for school like yours. Specifically designed for GCSE maths revision, the GCSE maths past papers, GCSE maths worksheets and GCSE maths questions, will help to familiarise students with the type of materials covered in the exam as well as how questions are marked.

Concerned about GCSE results?

You don’t need to be. At Third Space Learning we’re here to help you deliver the best outcomes for your students, whatever your resources. The most effective way to do this is with our online, one-to-one GCSE revision tuition based around developing skills to answer GCSE exam questions.