GCSE results day 2024: When is it, and what should pupils and families expect on the day?

• GCSE results day is now just a few days away.

• For most pupils, the best place to get your results will be your school.

• You can also find out more about what this year’s grade boundaries were on the day.

• If you’re not happy with your grades, there is a three-stage appeals process available - but prices for this can add up.

• You’ll need to get special help from your school to get a review.

GCSE results day is now just days away, with all of the excitement that comes with it.

The General Certificate of Secondary Education exams are often the first major ones sat in a student’s educational career, and as such, can be a source of great trepidation for many. For those unfamiliar with navigating exams and results days, the whole process can also be a bit overwhelming - especially if you end up needing to appeal some of your results.

But how exactly do you get them, and what can you do if you’re not happy? Here’s what students and their families need to know before the big day:

When is GCSE results day this year?

GCSE results day this year is on Thursday, 22 August. Secondary school pupils across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland who sat their exams throughout May and June will finally be able to find out how they did on this day, as well as how many GCSEs they achieved in total.

Each exam board will also release its grade boundaries for this year on results day. This is the amount of marks needed from the total available to get each specific overall grade, and it can often be worthwhile to check how close you were to achieving a higher grade.

How can you get your results?

GCSE candidates can pick up their results envelope from their school on results day, barring any special arrangements made ahead of time. Schools often open early in the day for this, and have usually already advised students and their families when they will be open for pick up - but you can contact them if you’re not sure.

Your results will usually be inside a sealed envelope. You can choose to open them at school right away, where there will often be staff on hand to support you in case of any upsetting surprises, but you can also choose to take them away to open later with your friends or family.

What should you do if you have a problem with your grades?

For each GCSE you sat, you should receive a number grade ranging from 9 - the highest - to 1. Grades of 4 and up are considered a pass, albeit a standard pass, while getting a 7 or higher is roughly equivalent to the old A grade.

Getting lower grades than expected can naturally be upsetting. But if they were much lower than you thought they would be, or if you think there might have been a problem with how your papers were marked, you are able to ask the exam board to review its marking.

For everyone except private candidates, your school will need to do this for you - and it’s worth setting up a meeting as soon as possible if this is an avenue you’re exploring, as the full appeals process can take some time. Your school can then, with your permission, ask for the relevant board to review its marking. If you still have concerns, your school can also appeal this review. The exam board will then look over its marking once again, and make a final call.

There is one final step available if you still have concerns, which is to appeal to Ofqual - the government’s qualifications regulator. Its team will look over the exam board’s marking to make sure it is up to their standards. Ofqual can’t change your grade for you, but it can get the board to take one more look.

While you won’t be charged if you request a review and your grade is changed as a result, you may be charged a fee if it doesn’t - and these can sometimes be fairly expensive.

The government has issued some advice for parents and carers supporting students as they receive their exam results. This can often be a tense and emotionally fraught time, especially if things don’t go as expected. You can check this advice out online here.