General Certificate of Secondary Education

For other meanings of GCSE, see GCSE (disambiguation).

Structure

A different examination is taken for each area of study, but school students are usually obliged to take examinations for certain "core subjects" (English, English literature, Mathematics and Science) along with several optional subjects. Normally pupils take nine GCSEs, though taking more is not unusual. There is also an option for students to take "short" or "half" courses for certain subjects.

Related Topics:
English - English literature - Mathematics - Science

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Grades range from an A* to G, with a U as a fail. The A* was introduced in 1994 due to the increasing number of students attaining A-grades. Originally, to achieve an A* a student had to take an extra paper; the system was then revised to make the higher paper take this into account.

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There were initially three tiers for most examinations: "Basic" (renamed "Foundation"), "Intermediate", and "Higher" tier. Most subjects moved to two or one tier during the 1990s. Maths remained an exception, but as of summer 2006 Maths will only have two tiers: Foundation and Higher. Students are entered for a certain tier based on their ability. The tier a student is entered for affects the range of grades that student could attain. Under the current system Foundation tier gives access to G to C and Higher D to A* - failing either tier would result in a U.

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Some subjects, such as Science, can be split up into several different subjects: it is possible to be examined on Science as a whole, with one or two GCSEs, or Biology, Chemistry and/or Physics separately (where 3 GCSEs are awarded).

Related Topics:
Science - Biology - Chemistry - Physics

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There are now five exam boards offering GCSEs: AQA, Edexcel, OCR the WJEC and the CCEA. Traditionally, there were a smaller number of regional exam boards, but changes in legislation allowed schools to use any board before a series of mergers reduced the number to five. Some examining boards offer a "modular" structure for some subjects, alongside the more traditional "linear" structure. In a modular structure, one or more modular examinations which focus on a sub-set of the syllabus are taken at intermediate stages of the course. Modular examinations may be re-taken to attempt to improve results. In addition to modular examinations, a modular structure may also include final or terminal examinations which examine the whole syllabus.

Related Topics:
Exam board - AQA - Edexcel - OCR - WJEC - CCEA - Examining boards - Modular

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In most subjects, one or more coursework assignments may also be completed. Coursework typically contributes around 25% to the final GCSE grade. In subjects such as DT (Design and Technology - electronics, food, graphic products, resistant materials, systems and control and textiles) and ICT (Information and Communication Technology), the amount of mark relying on coursework is greater.

Related Topics:
Coursework - Design and Technology - ICT

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