GCSE Results Day 2025: What Students Need to Know About Grades, New App and Appeals

Published: 21 August ‘2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Students across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will receive their GCSE and Level 2 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results on Thursday, a key milestone that determines progression to sixth form, college, apprenticeships, or other training opportunities. This year’s results day comes amid ongoing reforms to grading and the introduction of digital tools to make exam records more accessible.

In England, GCSEs are graded on a numerical scale from 9 to 1, replacing the traditional A* to G system. A grade of 9 represents the highest achievement, while grades 7 and above are broadly equivalent to an A and above. A grade 4 or higher is considered a standard pass, comparable to a C grade, while government performance data often highlights the percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above, roughly equivalent to a high C or low B. The numerical system began rolling out in 2017 and has been fully implemented across all subjects since 2020.

Northern Ireland continues to use a nine-category scale from A* to G, which includes a C*, while Wales retains the traditional eight-category A* to G grading system. Scotland, which follows a different qualification framework, has already issued National 5 exam results earlier this month.

This year also sees the continuation of a government pilot using the Education Record app, through which tens of thousands of GCSE pupils in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will be able to access their results digitally. Pupils participating in the trial will still receive paper results from their schools or colleges from 8am on results day, while grades will be available on the app from 11am. The app aims to consolidate exam results and certificates in a single digital record, simplifying applications for further education, apprenticeships, or employment.

The impact of Covid-19 continues to be reflected in exam support measures. Most pupils who sat this year’s exams were in Year 6 during the 2020 national school closures. In response, exam aids such as formulae and equation sheets have been provided in mathematics, physics, and combined science since 2022. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has confirmed that these aids will remain available for GCSE students in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

Students who are dissatisfied with their results have multiple avenues for recourse. They can consult their preferred school or college to see if flexibility on entry requirements is possible. In England, exam boards allow schools and colleges to request reviews of marking if a grade is disputed. Following the review, students may appeal the result, and they also have the option to resit any GCSE exam the following summer. English language and maths GCSEs can now be retaken from this autumn, as students who do not achieve at least a grade 4 in these subjects are required to continue studying them during post-16 education.

As thousands of students receive their results this week, the combination of traditional grading, new digital tools, and clear appeal processes seeks to balance transparency, accessibility, and fairness, ensuring that pupils have the support they need to progress to the next stage of their academic and professional journeys.