GCSE results: How to appeal your grades

Pass rate and proportion of top grades for GCSE are lower this year compared to last

Hundreds of thousands of GCSE students have found out their results after taking exams this summer.

The overall pass rate and proportion of top marks awarded have risen compared to the last time students sat exams, which were cancelled for two years in a row during the Covid pandemic.

But they are still lower than last year as efforts to curb grade inflation kicked in.

For those unhappy with results, there are ways to appeal them.

Students in England are told to contact their school or college to challenge an GCSE grade, which will then ask the exam board to review their marking.

They may have to pay a fee if their grade is not changed as a result of the review and are advised to check first with their school.

Students are also told to check with exam boards for appeal deadlines.

If unhappy with the review decision, students can ask their school or college to appeal again and exam boards will conduct another assessment.

Students can finally turn to Ofqual, the exam regulator for England, if they do not think the appeal was handled correctly.

Hundreds of thousands of students picked up GCSE results on Thursday (PA)

In Wales, students must speak to their school or college if they want to appeal.

These can ask exam boards to review marking and to check everything is counted correctly - as well as to see exam scripts before asking for this. Different deadlines and costs can be found here.

Schools and colleges can also appeal whatever decision the exam boards make after reviewing their marking.

The process is the same for students in Northern Ireland. There are different deadlines and costs for what services are required, which can be found here.

Fees are involved for students in Wales and Northern Ireland if grades are not changed as a result.

The processes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are the same for students wanting to appeal A-level results.