Examinations are quickly getting back to the pre-covid times. With normalcy, GCSE 2023, students have been facing a lot of anticipation regarding what they will be facing and what they can expect, especially since the government’s decision to reinstate the pre-covid examination grading scale. GCSE exams are scheduled to be held during May and June of this year. If you too are wondering about the exams and have little to no idea, this blog will cover all aspects of the 2023 GCSE exams and will be answering some of the most-asked questions.
Regarding Advanced information to students
During the pandemic and till 2022, practice sets and advanced information was provided to all students taking the GCSE. This was done keeping in mind the disruption and stress these students faced due to the covid-19 pandemic. However, for this year, the exam board has confirmed it will be taking things back and will not be issuing any advanced information to students in England. However, students in Northern Ireland do have received certain information for certain subjects.
Access to Formulae sheets in the 2023 GCSE
Another most inquired question is whether students will be provided with the formulae and equation sheets for this year. Good news to the students, the exam board has acknowledged that students had to face certain disturbances owing to the exam stress and thus will be provided with the support of formulae sheets and equation sheets for the GCSE 2023. Same as the last year, the formulae and equation sheets have been released for these three subjects- GCSE Physics, GCSE Mathematics, and GCSE Combined Science.
Grading system for the 2023 GCSE examination
Due to the pandemic, students have faced numerous difficulties and roadblocks in their studies. It has led to a lower grade level and grade boundary. It is expected that the grade boundary for 2023 will be lower than that of 2022. This is because it was found out that certain students need more time than others to get back on track after the loss faced by them due to the pandemic. Furthermore, it is made known that the qualification level for vocational and technical exams would be returning to normal.
Arrangements for examinations 2023
Most students this year anticipated that the non-exam assessments and arrangements would be remaining similar to that during the pandemic. Ofqual has made it known that all the arrangements and assessments in fieldwork, practicals, spoken language assessment, and content would be the same as in the pre-COVID times. Hence, students need to prepare in advance and get thorough with all the course content to successfully clear all their GCSE and A levels this year.
Gaps between the papers and how much can students expect?
During the pandemic and later, students were provided with ample time to prepare for their papers and even got certain paper gaps. While it is unclear how many gaps would be provided, Ofqual has said that it would be asking the exam board to give sufficient time between the subjects for students to successfully attempt their exams. Previously, there were 8-10 day exam gaps provided to the students.
Date sheet and results
The 2023 GCSE examinations are scheduled to be held in May and June of this year all over England. It is anticipated that the dates may remain sort of similar to last year as we expect that there would be similar exam gaps as last year. This has to be done to prevent students from missing their exams due to illness or other circumstances. Moreover, the exam results will be on the 17th of August, 2023 for AS and A levels, and on the 24th of August, 2023 for the GCSEs.
Conclusion
There have been lots of changes that took place in a span of over 4 years thanks to the pandemic. With things going back to normal at a fast rate, students should also fasten their preparation level and start working hard to do well in the 2023 GCSEs. The government has also already prepared contingency plans if the need arises. Hence, students need to relax and focus on clearing their exams with top grades.
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