Your Guide To Your GCSE Exam Dates And Grading System In 2025
From the new(ish) grading system to when your exam dates are, we’ve got all the details.
If you’re taking your GCSE exams this year, listen up. We’ve got everything you need to know about all the exam dates (so get them in your diary now!), and how the grading system works. Plus some top tips along the way of how to manage your time, when results day is, and more.
The GCSE grading system was overhauled in 2017 with a 9-1 system brought in instead. While it’s been around a long time, it can still be a lot to get your head around. So we’re breaking down all the comparisons to the old system and why it happened.
In this article:
- GCSE exam dates in 2025
- IGCSE exam dates in 2025
- GCSE mock exams dates
- How does GCSE grading work?
- What counts as a pass?
- Why has the system changed?
- How are students assessed on their GCSEs?
- When is GCSE results day?
- How do I prepare for my GCSEs?
When are the GCSE exam dates for 2025?
GCSE exams in 2025 start from Monday 5th May and finish on Friday 20th June.
These dates are set by each individual exam board, but that can be some variation of the dates. It’s worth checking closer to the time that none of your exams have been moved around. Some of you might have other non-exam assessments as part of your course, for example, oral exams for French or lab-based experiments. These could actually be outside of the official date range, so double check this with your teacher.
If you want to find out specific dates for your exams, then it’s worth checking with the exam board for your subject. The main exam boards are:
When are IGCSE exams in 2025?
International GCSEs (or IGCSEs) work a little differently, as they operate, as the name suggests, internationally. They have two date ranges depending on what set of exams you’re doing.
- Edexcel Summer series: start 8th May and ends 16th June 2025
- Edexcel November series: start 27th October and ends 20th November 2025
- CAIE Summer series: starts late April to mid June 2025
- CAIE November series: starts late September to mid November 2025
What about GCSE mock exam dates?
GCSE mock exam dates vary by schools as they set the dates for these. They are normally taken in December or January in Year 11. You can find out by asking your school directly if you want to get a better idea.
Mock exams get a bit of a bad rep, but they’re a really good way of figuring out if you’re actually learning and taking in as much as you think you have been doing. So even if you think they’re not worth it, it really helps to take some time to study for them and see what kind of GCSE grades you get. If they’re lower than you thought, then at least it’ll help you identify where you need to revise more before the actual exam.
Healthy study habits can help you get into a better mindset for your exams. Finding the best foods to eat before exams, making sure you get enough sleep and allow some time to switch off too.
When are GCSE resits?
If you’ve already taken your exams but didn’t get the GCSE grades you wanted, then you might think about resitting your exams.
Maths and English resits usually take place in November, while other subjects will be in the following May or June.
How does GCSE grading work?
So it’s probably no surprise to you that GCSE grades have changed a lot over the years. Back in 2017, the grading system for GCSEs was changed in England. It now operates as a numerical system instead of the traditional ‘A, B, C, D, E etc’. So how do they compare? It’s not a direct equivalent, as some of the numbers overlap. But this table below gives you a good idea.
| Numerical grading system | Grade equivalent |
|---|---|
| 9 | A* (and higher) |
| 8 | A* |
| 7 | A |
| 6 | B |
| 5 | B/C |
| 4 | C |
| 3 | D/E |
| 2 | E/F |
| 1 | G |
| U | U |
What counts as a pass?
To pass your GCSEs, you need a minimum of a grade 4 to pass. By achieving straight 4s, you technically pass all of your GCSE exams.
4 is considered a pass while a 5 is a strong pass.
To be more specific, stats on the school league tables are based on students receiving a grade 5 (or strong pass) and higher. Sixth forms and colleges are setting grade requirements at 5 and 6 or above to keep up with their courses.
How are the grade boundaries decided?
Every year, the exam boards will assess how students have performed overall. They use this data to set the grade boundaries every year. This means that if one year students get higher GCSE grades on average, that the grade boundaries will adjust to reflect this the following year.
Why has the system changed?
The GCSE grading system changed to give students more content and harder questions in their exams. The government believes that students nowadays are in a much better place to develop their skills and perform at their best with a more challenging curriculum.
The government changed the GCSE grading system to a numerical system to make it easier to differentiate from the last lettered system.
How are you assessed on their GCSEs?
With most courses, you’ll be graded on a final exam at the end of two years. This differs from the old system, where you would often have coursework or individual exams after each section of your course.
There’s some debate about how difficult the old GCSE grades were versus the new style of exams. They are two very different systems, with the new style of GCSEs much more linear in their focus. Unfortunately it could mean that because you’re based solely on an exam at the end of two years of study, that it might not be as accessible for people who learn in other ways.
When is GCSE results day?
This year, you’ll be able to pick up your GCSE results on Thursday 21st August 2025. You’ll be able to pick up your results from your school, but if you’re on holiday or not able to make it into school, your school will normally be able to post them. You can even ring up and find out on the day if you’re really keen!
So you’ll be able to tell if you’ve met the requirements to study for your A-levels or BTEC course from then.
How do I even prepare for my GCSEs?
Revision is a tricky thing to master, even when you’ve had years of practice. It’s all about finding the best revision techniques that work for you. From Pomodoro timers to flashcards to mind maps, it’s definitely worth finding what suits you.
There’s even study apps for students you can access these days to help you condense your revision into manageable chunks.
Luckily, there are so many online resources now that can help you revise for your exams. BBC Bitesize have been around for years, with a hub of brilliant learning tools.
Did you know 16-18 year old students are eligible to sign up for Student Beans? You can get student discounts across all your favourite brands, including ASOS, Superdrug and Samsung. Perfect for a little post-exam day treat!
