GCSE

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Summery

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales, Gibraltar and Northern Ireland. (In Scotland, the equivalent is the Standard Grade.) Some students may decide to take one or more GCSEs before or afterwards; people may apply for GCSEs at any point either internally through an institution or externally. The education systems of other British territories, such as Gibraltar, and the former British dominion of South Africa, also use the qualifications, as supplied by the same examination boards. The International version of the GCSE is the IGCSE, which can be taken anywhere in the world, and which includes additional options, for example relating to coursework and the language used. When GCSEs are taken by students in secondary education, they can often be combined with other qualifications, such as the Business And Technology Education Council (BTEC), the Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA), or Diplomas.

Grading

At the end of the two-year GCSE course, candidates receive a grade for each subject that they have sat. The pass grades, from highest to lowest, are: A* (pronounced 'A-star'), A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

GCSEs are part of the National Qualifications Framework. A GCSE at grades D–G is a Level 1 qualification, while a GCSE at grades A*–C is a Level 2 qualification.

Those who fail a course are given a U (unclassified or ungraded) and the subject is not included on their certificates. Students can also receive an X grade which signifies that they have only completed part of the course or key elements such as coursework are missing and so an appropriate mark cannot be given.

Extra Info

Exams taken in year eleven after 2 years of preparation and usually includes coursework in each subject.

These exams usually are usually the qualification for entry into college or sixth form.

They also serve no purpose whatsoever, except giving the Free Press something to write about, a fact you will learn oh-so-quickly at A-level - or so people think ! Universities now look at your GCSEs and regularly reject straight A students at A-Level if their GCSEs are not good !