New C* introduced in GCSE grading system

By Q Radio News

Students sitting their GCSE exams here will now be able to achieve a C STAR grade.

The new system comes into effect this summer for around 30-thousand students here.

The current A star grade has also been re-positioned it's now more in line with the numerical scale which was introduced in England.

Margaret Farragher, CCEA's director for education says it may now be harder for students here to achieve an A STAR grade:

CCEA has introduced a new GCSE grading scale which will see a new C* grade added and the current A* re-positioned; to ensure NI’s grades are aligned with the numerical system in place in England. Here’s @CCEA_info Director of Education, Margaret Farragher explaining: pic.twitter.com/Zoelyw2V0p

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) May 8, 2019

What are the changes and what will they mean?

In summer 2019, CCEA will award new A*–G GCSE grades, which will include a C* grade.

The A* grade will be aligned to the grade 9.

Students taking exams with AQA, Pearson, Eduqas and OCR, will receive GCSEs graded 9–1, where 9 is the highest grade and 1 is the lowest.

Students in Northern Ireland may receive both letters and numbers in their GCSE results, so it is important to understand how.

Grades A* and 9 will reflect students’ exceptional performance.

The alignment of the new A* grade with the grade 9 will mean that the percentage of students achieving an A* grade will reduce.

This means it will be more difficult to achieve an A*.

The A grade will cover grades 7 and 8.

Approximately the same percentage of students that achieved an A grade and above in the past will achieve grades A or 7 and above.

The B grade will equate to a grade 6.

The new C* grade will equate to a grade 5.

Approximately the same percentage of students that achieved a C grade and above in the past will achieve grades C or 4 and above.

Introducing the C* grade will mean that the percentage of students achieving grades B and C will reduce.

Approximately the same percentage of students achieving grades D–G will achieve grades 3–1.