Results days in August: what you need to know

Results days in August: what you need to know

Your students (and teachers) have done the hard work and the summer break is in full swing but it’s a good idea now to make sure you have all the information you need for GCSE and A level results days in August. There is lots...

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Your students (and teachers) have done the hard work and the summer break is in full swing but it’s a good idea now to make sure you have all the information you need for GCSE and A level results days in August.

There is lots of information on our Pearson Edexcel qualifications website to help you prepare for results day but we’ve summarised the most useful links below to make sure the process for you and your students is as seamless as possible – and to help you answer some of the questions you may receive from students and parents in the run up.

A reminder of the key dates

Results days for the June 2019 exam series are Thursday 15 August for AS/A level and International A levels and Thursday 22 August for GCSE and International GCSE. 

However, it’s not only GCSE and A level results released on these days – you can see the full list of all Pearson qualification results announced on these dates here. 

And if you haven’t done so already, make sure your exam officer signs up to our International Exam Officer newsletter for all the latest information in the run up to results day and beyond.

Understanding grade boundaries

To ensure that our qualifications continue to receive recognition from employers and education providers, all awarding bodies have to demonstrate that learners of the same ability are awarded the same grade, regardless of when they completed their course. We therefore set grade boundaries to fairly reflect performance and set new grade boundaries each time a new exam or assessment is completed. These grade boundaries indicate the minimum number of marks students need to achieve to get a particular grade.

Grade boundaries will be published and made publicly available online here from Wednesday 14 August for Pearson Edexcel GCE A level and International A levels and from Wednesday 21 August for Pearson Edexcel GCSEs and International GCSEs.

International GCSE (9-1) Awarding 2019

This year, over 5 million GCSEs and International GCSEs will be awarded using the 9–1 grading scale, making it the most used and recognised grading scale for GCSE and International GCSE. 

There’s some useful information on our website explaining how your students will benefit from moving to the new Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1), which uses the new grading scale.

And this short video on International GCSE (9-1) Awarding explains how we set grade boundaries and ensure that students are treated fairly.

How we mark students’ exam scripts

ePEN, our unique, image-based marking system, ensures real time monitoring, quality control and reporting to ensure the highest quality marking and provision of data. Unlike traditional exam paper marking, our examiners mark one anonymised question at a time, rather than one paper/script at a time. They submit marks for each item as they go which removes any potential bias they may have based on a student’s answers to previous questions, and produces remarkably accurate results. 

After results day

As the most accurate awarding organisation, we’re confident students will get the right result first time. 

However, if you do have a query about any of your students’ exam results this summer, we offer a range of post results review services to help you, including:

Both of these services will be available from 19 September for the June 2019 exam series – you can see the full timetable for our post-results services here

Using ResultPlus to plan and prepare for 2020 

Did you know our ResultsPlus service can help you to plan and prepare your next cohort of students for the 2020 exam series?

ResultsPlus is a free online results analysis tool that gives you a detailed breakdown of your students’ performance in Pearson Edexcel exams and BTEC external assessments to help you identify topics and skills where students could benefit from extra learning.

Unlike similar results analysis tools, it’s available for all International GCSE and International A Level subjects and results analysis is available for the latest exam series from results day onwards. One of the really great features is that it allows you to track performance over time against historical records and benchmark your students’ performance against other Pearson Edexcel schools in your country.

If you’re interested in using ResultPlus this year, take a look at our handy videos to find out more:

How to analyse an individual’s performance
How to analyse your cohorts performance
How to analyse mock results
How to analyse global performance performance

We hope this has been a useful summary of the services we offer you and your students in the run up to and after results day. Do let us know in the comments. And good luck and best wishes to all of your students who will receive their exam results this summer!

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