GCSE Results Day 2023: What to Expect

GCSE Results Day 2023 is Thursday 24th August for England and Wales students. The moment when five years of hard work is condensed into a single brown envelope. 

Students can normally receive their exam results from around 10am, although this may vary. Most schools receive students’ exam results the day before but these are for the exams officers and headteacher to see only!

Collecting your GCSE results will be one of the biggest days of your life so far. So it's ok to be a bit nervous.  

But don't worry. Your school will make collecting your GCSE results as pain-free as possible. And if you don't get the grades you were hoping for, all is not lost! There are many paths to success in life. 

First things first - How do GCSE grades work?

Previously, the grading system was A* to U. Now as part of the new GCSE exams reform, grades range from 9 to 1, and a U grade for papers too low to be classed. 

A grade 9 is the highest you can receive and an A* is between the 8 and 9 grade. A 7 is an A grade and a grade 4 is a C. 

Getting your  GCSE results 

If, like most people, you're collecting your GCSE results in person, there are a few things to remember.

Firstly, check with your school what time you need to arrive. The best way to find out is by checking your school's website or by giving them a call. Some schools do it in the mornings, others in the afternoons. 

(You’ve no doubt got your fingers crossed for an afternoon session – seeing as you probably haven’t got up before lunchtime since you left!) 

Once you know your time slot, head down there with plenty of time to spare.

Choices: ‘Drum-roll please’ or ‘grab-and-run’? 

When you get there, you’ll be welcomed by your teachers, who will all be acting much nicer than you're used to! They’re no longer the enemy. And it’ll feel weirdly nice. 

Find the big table of glowing envelopes. If you can’t see it, look for the circling swarm of emotional classmates. 

The moment of truth; your GCSE results envelope is in your hand, what now? Open it then and there, or smuggle it home and slip it into the under-stair cupboard? 

The choice is yours. But if you think that you might have missed out on the results you wanted, open them at school. That way you can talk to a teacher if you need advice on your options. 

Other ways to get your results

If you can’t collect your GCSE results in person, don’t worry. You can have them sent to you in the post, or in an email. 

A third option is to ask a (very trustworthy) friend or family member to pick them up for you. As long as you agree it with your school and complete a ‘consent letter’ before the day. 

Didn’t get the GCSE results you wanted? 

If you’re like most students, you’ll be hoping for at least 4-9s (Old School Converter: A*-Cs). 

But if you don’t manage to hit the numbers you were hoping for, what then? 

In short: it’s not the end of the world. 

Sure, you’ll be disappointed, but talk to a teacher as soon as you can. They’ll be around to help and advise you on what to do next. 

Two options might be a re-mark or resit. 

Re-mark or resit? 

If you’ve missed out on a grade by only a few marks, your school could request a re-mark. This could potentially bump you up a grade. Be aware though, grades can go down as well as up. Your teachers will be best placed to make this call. 

If you’ve missed out by more than a few marks, particularly in maths and English, you can retake the exams in November. With other subjects, you might have to wait longer. 

Not getting the GCSE results you wanted is a setback. But remember that you’ve got your whole life ahead of you! When you look back, one more year at school won’t seem like that much. 

Your important next steps… 

Depending on how well your GCSE results went, you may already know what you’re doing next year. If you have no idea, it’s not too late to make a plan. You might be faced with some tough choices. 

Your three main options are college, sixth-form, or an apprenticeship. College and sixth form are the obvious choices if you want to go to university. 

If you want to get into the real world, start working and earning some money (and avoiding some serious debt), then an apprenticeship might be just your kind of thing. There are so many exciting fields that you can start your career with through apprenticeships. As a specialist digital apprenticeship provider, we train people in Digital Marketing, ICT, Network Engineering, Cyber Security and more!

Collecting your GCSE results means the end of one stage of your life, and the start of a brand new, more exciting part. A whole new set of challenges and opportunities are in front of you. 

GCSE results day is your ticket to the future. But whatever your results, there’s still plenty of time and options to work hard and land a career that you’ll love. 

So no matter what news is waiting for you in that dreaded envelope, you’re going to be fine. 

Good luck! 

 You might like our blog, 'Apprenticeship vs University: Which one is right for you?' Click here to read. 

You can sign up for an escalla apprenticeship and develop your transferable skills, enjoy job-based training, and get paid. Contact us.