Grading for new linear GCSE 9-1 History
This update explains how the new linear Edexcel GCSE 9-1 History specification will be graded.
9-1 grade boundaries
This summer will be the first award of the new 9-1 grade boundaries for GCSE History. They won’t be set until the first live exams are sat, marked and awarded.
No more UMS
The new GCSE 9-1 History specifications are designed to be linear which means that, after years of UMS marks, you now need to get used to a new way of reporting grade boundaries.
Students will not be given grades for each paper they sit and there will no longer be UMS (uniform mark scale) awarded for each paper. The grades only officially exist at subject level, so students that sit the new examinations this summer will simply receive an overall grade for the qualification.
On results day, we will publish the official grade boundaries at subject level.
We will also publish notional component boundaries at paper level for all GCSE papers to help you to mark and grade mocks in future series. These will be displayed in the notional grade boundaries document. They will not be displayed on official/formal results documentation.
How do the new GCSE papers add up to make a total subject mark?
- The new GCSE History Paper 1 has a total raw mark of 52 and is weighted at precisely 30.952% of the qualification.
- The new GCSE History Paper 2 has a total raw mark of 64 and is weighted at precisely 38.095% of the qualification.
- The new GCSE History Paper 3 has a total raw mark of 52 and is weighted at precisely 30.952% of the qualification.
- The total GCSE raw mark is therefore a mark of 168.
- Your students’ marks on new GCSE Paper 1, 2 and 3 will simply be added together to give the total subject mark out of 168.
- The overall grade boundaries will be presented as marks out of 168 and the notional boundaries will be presented as marks out of 52 (Papers 1 and 3) and 64 (Paper 2).
NB the paper weightings above are the precise weightings of each paper. These have been simplified in the specification to reflect the content weightings before including marks for SPAG.
I hope you found this update useful. I will be available on results day to answer any questions you may have about grade boundaries and students' results.
