The new GCSE grading system sends a “demoralising message” to students who are likely to score lower results, heads’ leaders said today, as teachers’ and employers’ leaders warned of the impact of the exams on students’ mental health.

The system needed a “better way” to recognise the achievement of teenagers who score lower than a 4 - equivalent to a C under the old system - said Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of heads’ association ASCL.

In a separate statement, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said he was ‘deeply concerned’ about the pressure the new exams had put on students and staff, made worse by “rushed implementation”.

The removal of coursework and reversion to high-stakes end-of-course exams contributed to poor mental health, he said.

John Cope, head of education and skills policy at the Confederation of British Industry, said that “undue pressure” to achieve top grades could have “unintended consequences” for students.

The comments come as 16-year-olds across England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive their GCSE results.

Last year, one in five (20 per cent) UK GCSE entries scored at least an A - or a 7 under the new system - while two thirds (66.3 per cent) scored at least a C - equivalent to a 4 under the new system.

Under the biggest shake-up of exams in England for a generation, GCSEs have been toughened up, and traditional A*-G grades scrapped and replaced with a 9-1 system, with 9 being the highest grade.

According to research by Cambridge Assessment, as few as 200 students could score a clean sweep of 9s in all of their GCSEs this year.

“The Government’s intention is that the new system provides greater differentiation between grades,” Mr Trobe said.

“Our concern, however, is over those pupils at the other end of the scale who are taking exams that are harder than their predecessors and who have been told by the government that a grade 4 is a ‘standard pass’ and a grade 5 is a ‘strong pass’.

“That is a very demoralising message to those who achieve grades 1, 2 and 3, and the new system does not work very well for them at all.

“These young people have completed demanding programmes of study and we need to find a better way to credit their achievements.”

Mr Courtney said: “We are deeply concerned about the pressure and stress these new GCSEs have put on students and school and college staff, which has been exacerbated by the upheaval of the rushed implementation.

“Removing most coursework and other non-exam assessment and just using end-of-course exams makes the exams extremely high-stakes and is contributing to poor mental health among students.

“There is something wrong if many schools and colleges feel they need to start teaching these new GCSEs in Year 9, and some even in Year 8, to get through the more difficult and increased amount of content.”

Schools, Mr Courtney said, should be “free from the EBacc and Progress 8 straitjackets” in order to offer a balanced curriculum.

Mr Cope said it was “entirely understandable that if 8s and 9s are depicted as equivalent to last year’s A*s when they’re not, young people will experience unnecessary stress”.

“Ambition to achieve top marks is important, but undue pressure can have unintended consequences for students.” 

There have been suggestions in recent weeks that grade boundaries could be lower this year for new GCSEs compared with the old system.

Last year, when grades were awarded for the first time for the new maths GCSE, students sitting the higher-tier maths course - which is aimed at higher-achieving pupils - needed to score at least 18 per cent on average to secure a grade 4, while on average, 52 per cent was needed for a 7, and 79 per cent for a grade 9.

Sally Collier, chief regulator of Ofqual, reassured candidates that they could be “confident they have achieved the grades their performance deserves”.

She said: “Many years in the making, these new GCSEs are more challenging and will better prepare students for further study or employment.”

The regulator stressed that the system of comparable outcomes, overseen by senior examiners, had ensured standards were maintained.

Grades for new-style English and maths GCSEs were awarded for the first time last summer.

This year, 20 subjects will be awarded grades under the new system.