GCSE qualifications are designed to provide candidates with knowledge and understanding of their chosen subject. Those who gain GCSEs can follow a pathway to employment or further education.

All GCSEs have been revised in recent years:

• GCSE Sciences were revised for first teaching from September 2011.
• GCSE Maths, English and ICT were revised for first teaching from September 2010.
• All other GCSEs were revised for first teaching from September 2009.

Overview

GCSEs are offered across Levels 1 and 2 of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and they are primarily targeted at secondary school pupils, but are also suitable for adult returners.

GCSEs are assessed depending upon the subject being studied but normally include a mixture of OCR-moderated coursework and OCR-set and marked external assessment.