GCSE results day 2024: everything you need to know

GCSE results day takes place on Thursday 22 August 2024. Here are all the key details

24th June 2024, 2:00pm

GCSE results day is a key moment in the calendar for students, parents and teachers as the culmination of years of hard work is revealed.

Below, you can find the key information for schools - including the key dates and a breakdown of the GCSE resits and appeals process.

When is GCSE results day 2024?

GCSE results day 2024 is on Thursday 22 August. Results will be released to schools on Wednesday 21 August and will be made available to students the following day.

What time are GCSE results released?

Students should be able to collect their results from their school from 8am, however it is best to check what time the school will be open or if collections are staggered.

A student and teacher looking at GCSE results

What should students do if they don’t get the grades they need?

On GCSE results day, many students will discover they have not obtained the grades they need to go on to study at their planned education provider.

Schools may assist these students by advising them to contact the school or college, and first establish if they will still be accepted with their current grades.

The school or college may accept them anyway, or they may require the student to resit a GCSE. It may be applicable for the current school to update the intended education provider with extenuating circumstances to explain the lower grade.

In a situation where a student has their offer withdrawn owing to failure to secure the entry grades required, the school may assist the student in contacting other providers to see if they have spaces.

What if a student needs to resit an exam?

Students may opt to resit any exam if they wish. However, it is a requirement for any student who receives a grade lower than a 4 in English or maths to retake the exam.

Find out more about GCSE resits

How can students appeal a GCSE grade?

If a school or student believes a mistake has been made with the marking of an exam or with the administration process, it is possible to appeal to see the exam paper and have it checked by another examiner.

There are two key dates for GCSE grade appeals: the deadline to request a priority copy of the marked paper, and the deadline to request a review of marking.

Check these deadlines with the relevant exam board: this year, for example, AQA’s review deadlines are Thursday 5 September and Thursday 26 September respectively.

Find out more about how to appeal a GCSE grade

Will students receive their GCSE certificates on results day?

Students will not receive their GCSE certificates on results day. Instead, they will receive a Candidate Statement of Provisional Results.

Once re-marks and appeals have been processed, certificates are awarded in the autumn. Schools often hold presentation evenings to hand out certificates, or students can collect them from the school.

What are Candidate Statements of Provisional Results?

These slips of paper contain the GCSE grades that have been awarded, and the individual mark per paper.

Each exam board that a student has taken an exam with will provide a statement of provisional results.

This is an example from AQA:

aqa candidate statement of provisional results example

When will GCSE grade boundaries be revealed?

Every year, grade boundaries are set by individual exam boards in a process called “awarding”. The placing of the grade boundaries cannot be done until exams have been marked.

For more information on how grade boundaries are set, you can read our article on the process behind setting grade boundaries.

Exam boards will share grade boundaries on results day - follow the links below for more information:

What is the EBacc?

The English Baccalaureate, commonly referred to as the EBacc, is one of the measures used in school league tables.

The EBacc is made up of the following subjects:

English language and literature
Maths
The sciences
Geography or history
A language

The Department for Education has reported that the overall entry for EBacc subjects in summer 2023 increased by 4 per cent, from 4,378,110 in summer 2022 to 4,554,415 this year.

The government has set out an “ambition” for 90 per cent of students to be studying an EBacc combination of subjects at GCSE by 2025.

How can teachers support students on GCSE results day?

Whether students are celebrating their results or having to remake their plans, they will likely benefit from seeing familiar faces to share the experience with them. There are plenty of ways teachers can help out, as detailed in the following articles:

For classroom teachers: The role of the teacher on GCSE results day
For middle leaders: A head of department’s guide to results day
For pastoral leaders: How to support students who miss their grade

When are exam results released in Scotland?

Scottish exam results are released on Tuesday 6 August 2024. Students finishing secondary school in Scotland sit National Qualifications (NQs), with the National 5 (N5) being the equivalent to GCSE.

Learn more about SQA results day