Choosing subjects & tiers
What are GCSEs?
GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. GCSEs are the main school qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually studied over two years from around age 14 and examined at 16. Students take a core of English, maths and science plus chosen options, assessed mostly by end-of-course written exams. In England they are graded 9 (highest) to 1, with grade 4 counting as a standard pass.
Last updated 29 July 2026 · Written and fact-checked by the GCSEwiz team
Who takes GCSEs, and when
GCSEs are taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - Scotland has its own system of Nationals and Highers. Most students study them across Years 10 and 11 (roughly ages 14–16), sitting the exams in May and June of Year 11 with results in August. A typical student takes eight to ten subjects: English, maths and science are compulsory, and the rest are options chosen in Year 9.
They are not only for teenagers. Adults resit GCSEs at colleges and as private candidates every year - most commonly English and maths - and the qualification is identical whoever sits it.
How they are assessed
Most GCSEs are assessed entirely by written exams at the end of the course - the reformed system moved away from modular exams and most coursework. A few subjects keep a practical or coursework element (formally "non-exam assessment"): art & design is largely portfolio-based, and subjects like drama, music, food and design technology assess performance or making alongside exams. Sciences include required practicals, but these are examined in the written papers rather than marked separately.
Some subjects - maths, the sciences and modern languages among them - are tiered: a foundation paper targeting the lower grades and a higher paper targeting the upper ones. Which tier a student sits is decided with the school during the course.
How the grading works
In England, GCSEs are graded on a 9–1 scale, with 9 the highest - it replaced the old A*–G letters from 2017. Grade 4 is the "standard pass" (roughly the old grade C) and grade 5 a "strong pass"; grade 7 corresponds to an old A, and 9 sits above the old A*. Wales and Northern Ireland kept letter grades for most of their own GCSEs, so a mixed-looking certificate can be perfectly normal.
In the national qualification framework, GCSEs at grades 4–9 are level 2 qualifications, and grades 1–3 are level 1 - which is what job adverts mean when they ask for "level 2 in English and maths".
What comes after GCSEs
Education or training continues to 18 in England, and GCSE results open the next set of doors: A-levels at a sixth form, T-levels or vocational courses like BTECs at a college, or an apprenticeship. Entry requirements vary by institution and course - sixth forms typically ask for a spread of grade 4s and 5s, with higher grades for specific A-level subjects - so the requirements that matter are always the ones published by the places a student actually applies to.
One rule worth knowing in advance: students in England who finish below a grade 4 in English or maths continue studying that subject alongside whatever they do next, with resit opportunities in November and the following summer. It is a condition of course funding, not a punishment - and passing on the resit is common.