When are GCSE exam dates and when is results day 2025?

Exam season has begun for hundreds of thousands of GCSE students in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Here is everything you need to know.

The GCSE exam period began on Monday 5 May, and finishes on Wednesday 25 June.

The exact dates of your exams will depend on which exam board your school uses – for example AQA, Pearson, OCR, WJEC or CCEA.

There is a helpful BBC Bitesize guide which has the details.

As in 2024, the Department for Education in England has said students in maths, physics, and combined science exams will be allowed to use formulae and equation sheets during their exams.

If you are unwell on the day of your exam, you should contact your school or college as soon as possible.

You will be asked to fill out a form for your school or college to request “special consideration” from your exam board.

GCSE results will come out on Thursday, 21 August from 08:00 BST. If you are collecting them in person, check with your school for exact timings.

Some students will get their results via a new app which will deliver grades directly to their phone from 11:00 BST on results day.

Around 95,000 pupils in Manchester and the West Midlands will be able to use the app this summer, before it is rolled out more widely.

Students in Scotland have been able to get their results via an online app since 2019. In Wales and Northern Ireland, results are usually distributed by schools and colleges.

In England, GCSEs are now graded using a numerical system from 9-1, rather than A-E as was previously the case.

Students need a 4 for a “standard pass” and 5 for a “strong pass”.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSEs are still graded using letters, unless an exam taken in those nations is managed by an English exam board.

Grade boundaries show the minimum number of marks you need for each grade.

They are decided by examiners and published on results day.

If you do not think your grade is right, you should first talk to your school or college.

It will contact the exam board on your behalf and ask for your marks to be reviewed.

If you still think you have been unfairly graded after a review, you can ask your school or college to appeal.

The exam board will consider whether a correction is needed.

If you are still not satisfied, you can request a review from regulator Ofqual.

The charity YoungMinds says results are not the only measure of success – and if things do not turn out as you had hoped, there are lots of other ways to help you achieve your goals.

You can resit any GCSE exam the following academic year.

The resits for GCSE maths and English, which are both mandatory subjects, take place from 5 November.

If you want to explore this option, you should speak to your school about the best course of action.

Scotland has a different qualification system, with Nationals, instead of GCSEs, and Highers, which are similar to A-levels.

National 5 exams have already started and will finish at the beginning of June.

Results day in Scotland is on Tuesday 5 August.