How long do GCSE exams last?
The overall duration is three hours, equating to one hour per study.
You might have a week's revision time between two exams during your GCSEs or A-levels, or perhaps a particularly unkind teacher has scheduled an internal exam for straight after you get back from half term. Either way, you can make some real progress in a week.
I believe it's quite hard. Above an A* from our day. In 2019 around 4.5% of pupils got a 9 grade (exam) That's about than 1 in 22.
Barnaby Lenon, a former headteacher of Harrow, the prestigious independent boarding school that educated the likes of Winston Churchill and Benedict Cumberbatch recommends that GCSE and A-Level students revise around seven hours a day throughout the Easter holidays.
As mentioned above, any grade below a 4 in the 9-1 grading system will be registered as a fail, so if you score 3 in a subject, then you will have to retake it to earn the qualification.
It's a reality that over a third of individuals fail their GCSE. While this might leave you feeling like you're far from your dream job, you're not as far as you may feel. You always have the chance to retake your adult GCSE courses.
- Make resources early. ...
- Revise for end-of-topic tests. ...
- Approach mocks properly. ...
- Experiment with revision techniques. ...
- Plan your time. ...
- Explain the information. ...
- Look at past papers.
According to The Student Room, students revise 15 to 20 hours per week for their exams, which might sound a lot until you break it down. You've probably worked it out for yourself, but the recommended time equates to three to five hours of revision per day with weekends off!
You should aim to revise for one to two hours a day, but it doesn't have to be all in one go. In fact, taking breaks whilst revising is much more beneficial than just doing it all in one go. You give your brain a chance to rest, which is crucial to the success of your revision – and eventually exams.
Can you get a 1 in GCSE?
The reformed GCSE qualifications will be awarded on a grade scale of 9 (the highest grade) to 1 (the lowest). This new scale will be aligned to key grades on the current A* to G scale. broadly the same proportion of students will achieve a grade 1 and above as currently achieve a grade G and above.
However, a 4 is being classified as a standard pass, which can be broadly compared to a grade C, while a 5 is a strong pass. Grades 9-7 are roughly equivalent to the old top grades of A* and A.

Pupils' GCSE and A-level exams will be graded more generously than in pre-pandemic years - to make up for the disruption Covid has had on learning. National exams are going ahead this year across the UK, for the first time since the pandemic began.
Starting two or three months in advance is definitely a good starting point for planning your revision. It's a nice, round amount of time that is easy to fit your GCSE subjects into.
Seven hours of straight revision might feel productive but it won't work for everyone because we all learn a little differently. Some people prefer lots of short sessions, while others might pick a single subject and focus on it for most of the day.
What do pupils need to pass their exams? Pupils will have needed a 4 for a "standard pass" and 5 for a "strong pass".
- Religious Studies.
- Media Studies.
- Hospitality and Catering.
- Business Studies.
- Drama.
- Physical Education.
- Design and Technology.
- Sociology.
GCSE examination resits
Most schools and colleges allow GCSE students to resit failed examinations. You can resit English and Maths exams in November and examinations in other subjects are then taken in the following June. You will need to double check the examination schedule with your school.
Resit your GCSEs through your school
You can still enrol to retake your GCSEs at a local school or college. This means you'll have a timetable and attend classes with other GCSE students. For Maths and English, resitting is compulsory if you haven't achieved a pass (grade 4).
Previously failed GCSE grades came in at grades D, E, F and G, with U being 'Unclassified'. Now, failed GCSE grades come in at 3, 2 and 1, with U being the only constant in the GCSE grading system.
How many people fail a GCSE?
A fifth of all students in England, or around 100,000 pupils each year, do not achieve the grade 4 pass grade in both English language and maths.
In 2022, 6.6 percent of GSCE entries in the England were awarded the highest grade of 9, with a further 8.5 percent of entries being awarded an 8, the second-highest grade.
As such, revision is crucial for any success in any exam, especially the GCSE maths exams. It is highly unlikely you will do well without revision.
Just 2,645 youngsters last year and 837 in 2019 got all grade 9s – meaning this year marks a 330 per cent rise! Of those scoring the top grades this year, 64% were girls and 36% were boys (a similar split to previous years). There were 16 pupils who took 12 GCSEs and got 9s in all of them!
Firstly, if you're here for the short answer here it is: The majority of students will take 9/10 GCSEs, and this amount is perfectly credible to colleges, universities and employers. However, a very small amount of students will take 11 GCSEs and an even fewer amount of students will take 12+ GCSEs.
GCSE exam resist typically take place in May/June, alongside other students of that year resitting the exam for the first time. However, you might not know, that you can sit exams for some subjects, including Maths and English, in January and/or November each year.
You have one year to complete online GCSE courses, however, completion is possible in as little as 6 months!
So, how long does it take to prepare for a I/GCSE or A-Level qualification? Generally speaking the recommended study durations for a single I/GCSE is 120 hours of study. A double award should take you about 200 hours of study. An A-Level should set you back about 360 hours.
When should GCSE revision start? GCSE revision should ideally start six months before the actual exam. Students should begin the revision process in January, as the exam will start in May.
Rather than revising one subject for seven hours in one day, it's better to do one hour of revision for seven days. This is because the time in between allows you to forget and re-learn the information, which cements it in your long-term memory.
What GCSE grade is 80 percent?
If a paper is allocated 120 uniform marks, the range of marks allocated to grade B is 84 to 95 (70% to 79% of 120); for grade C, 72 to 83 (60% to 69% of 120).
Equivalent GCSE grades
Grade 5 is a 'strong pass' and equivalent to a high C and low B on the old grading system. Grade 4 remains the level that students must achieve without needing to resit English and Maths post-16.
We expect that overall results in 2023 will be much closer to pre-pandemic years than results since 2020. This decision means that results in 2023 will be lower than in 2022.
So 70 would be a Grade 6, but 69 would be a Grade 5.
Grade 7, according to the old system, means scoring a lower grade A. A student who gets grade 7 (lower A) must have scored approximately 70-82 per cent in their examinations. According to the GCSE 2022 grade boundaries, securing grade 7 is considered a pretty decent score.
In the current grading system, a score of 9, 8 and 7 are equivalent to an A* and A. A 9 is for a student who has performed exceptionally well. A grade of 4 is the equivalent of a C grade, known as a standard pass. A grade of 5 is also a C grade but is known as a strong pass.
GCSEs will be taken in to account when we consider your application but they are just one aspect that we look at. GCSE results will be considered alongside your personal statement, academic reference, predicted grades and performance in any written work or written test required for your course.
When taking GCSEs there is a huge mix of subjects, skills, and knowledge. This can be incredibly difficult to manage. Students struggle to balance enough time to be able to do everything they used to do on a day-to-day basis, as well as including revision.
Students in Year 10, in most subjects, are now working towards Grade 9 – 1.
Grade 9 is the equivalent of above an A* Grade 8 is the equivalent of in between grades A* and A. Grade 7 is the equivalent of a grade A. Grade 6 is the equivalent of just above a grade B.
What percentage is a 9 in GCSE?
Grade 9 is considered to be higher than an A* and roughly the top 20% of students who achieve a grade 7 or above will achieve a grade 9.
In Summer 2022 GCSE students in the United Kingdom had a pass rate (achieving a grade of C/4 or higher) of 73.2 percent, the lowest since 2019 but still a noticeable increase when compared with years prior to 2020.
It's possible to revise for an exam in a day. This plan partly relies on the strength of your lecture notes and attendance throughout the course.
Fortunately, a week can be enough time to get ready for a test. Just study a little every day so you can keep your stress levels low. You might even have fun while you study!
As discussed, you have only 10 days and you cannot study everything in detail now. So, the best thing is to make a study plan that suits you. You have to give more time to subjects like Maths and Physics as compared to English and Social.
It's important to pace yourself to avoid exhaustion when you're ill. Study for 30 minutes, then take a 5- to 30-minute break until you feel ready to continue. It may help to switch subjects or topics after every break in order to stay focused and avoid burning out on studying just 1 thing.
And the more we use our brain to perform mental tasks, the more energy (i.e. glucose) is being used. This results in less glucose in the blood for other parts of the body, leading you to feel extreme exhaustion after long hours of thinking.
GCSE revision involves reviewing all of the content that you have covered in each of your GCSE subjects throughout years 10 and 11. You may have even started covering GCSE content from as early as year 9. It is, therefore, more than likely that you will need to re-examine this content before sitting your exams.
As you do have to take your GCSEs during school hours, the maximum amount of GCSEs that you could do at once is most likely around 16.
Studies for GCSE examinations take place over a period of two or three academic years (depending upon the subject, school, and exam board), starting in Year 9 or Year 10 for the majority of students, with examinations being sat at the end of Year 11 in England and Wales.
How long do GCSEs last in Year 11?
Students are usually aged 15 or 16 in Year 11 and it is the last year of compulsory secondary education in the UK. GCSEs are usually taken over two years but the special Year 11 Pathway allows students to take five to seven IGCSEs in one year only.
7 is equal to an A. 6 is equivalent to a high B.
Students tend to study between 8–11 GCSEs. I, personally, would regard any more than 12 excessive. If you say, have 9, don't feel the need to study 2 more because you think it will make a university application more competitive. It most likely wouldn't, and your time would be better spent elsewhere.
Half of schoolchildren who do not pass their maths and English GCSEs were already judged to be behind on their education at the age of five new research has found. A fifth of all students in England, or around 100,000 pupils each year, do not achieve the grade 4 pass grade in both English language and maths.
How many GCSE subjects is best? Most students will do nine or ten subjects depending on how your school organises its curriculum. To secure the best grades, it's best not to overload students — more than ten can be counterproductive.
When taking GCSEs there is a huge mix of subjects, skills, and knowledge. This can be incredibly difficult to manage. Students struggle to balance enough time to be able to do everything they used to do on a day-to-day basis, as well as including revision.
If a paper is allocated 120 uniform marks, the range of marks allocated to grade B is 84 to 95 (70% to 79% of 120); for grade C, 72 to 83 (60% to 69% of 120).
Decisions for GCSE maths, physics, combined science and modern foreign languages published following consultations. Proposals to support students taking exams in some GCSE subjects in summer 2023 have been given the go-ahead after 2 Ofqual public consultations.
If you miss an exam due to an unprecedented event, then there are systems in place to ensure you get a grade, as long as you meet certain criteria. However, if you miss the exam due to something within your control i.e., waking up late then you will fail the exam. You may be eligible for a resit at a later date.
The short answer is that GCSE qualifications do not expire – neither do any other qualifications such as A-Levels and degrees. There is also no expiration date on your GCSE certificates meaning that the proof of qualification lasts forever too.
Is having 5 GCSEs good?
For a start, five 'good' GCSEs including English and Maths are essential to progress to study A levels, with most school 6th forms and colleges demanding five GCSEs from prospective students.
The reformed GCSE qualifications will be awarded on a grade scale of 9 (the highest grade) to 1 (the lowest). This new scale will be aligned to key grades on the current A* to G scale. broadly the same proportion of students will achieve a grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above.
Students in Year 10, in most subjects, are now working towards Grade 9 – 1. The table below shows how the former GCSE grade equates to the new 9-1 grades. The target grade set is based on the KS2 data and other contextual information of your son or daughter.