Is an E in GCSE A fail?
The opposite can be said for the lower end of the GCSE grading system. Previously failed GCSE grades came in at grades D, E, F and G, with U being 'Unclassified'. Now, failed GCSE grades come in at 3, 2 and 1, with U being the only constant in the GCSE grading system.
Passing Grade -The grades O, A, B, C, D, E are passing grades. A candidate acquiring any one of these grades in a course shall be declared as pass. And student shall earn the credits for a course only if the student gets passing grade in that course. F Grade -The grade F shall be treated as a failure grade.
An A was equivalent to 95-100%, a B was equivalent to 85-94%, a C was equivalent to 76-84%, a D was 75%, and an E was anything below a 75%—which meant failure.
Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their GCSEs on Thursday 25 August. In England, these are now graded using a numerical system from 9 to 1, rather than from A to E, as was previously the case.
A pass in an AS subject is indicated by one of the five grades A, B, C, D or E, of which grade A is the highest and grade E the lowest.
Some schools do hand out E letter grades instead of an F, but they are in the minority. A majority of schools in the United States, particularly beyond primary age, give grades of A, B, C, D, or F.
Officially, the Government states that to pass a GCSE exam, a grade 4 or above is required and to pass at A-Level, students must gain an E grade or above.
“B” became anything from 90-94%, “C” was 85-89%, “D” was 80-84%, and “E” was 75-79%. Below that, they added in the dreaded “F.” Over the years, the letter grading scale became popular across colleges and high schools alike. A lot of schools skipped E and went straight to F.
You'll usually need to receive a letter grade between A and D to pass a class, often the numerical equivalent of 65 percent or higher. Receiving an F—which stands for “fail”—indicates that you did not pass the class.
Back in 1897, the letter E used to mean the same thing as F; that is, it used to be the lowest possible grade. However, parents and students found it easier to understand that “F” stood for “Failed” (rather than thinking that “E” could mean “excellent”).
What does grade E mean?
E = the student has exceeded the grade level standard(s) M = the student has met the grade level standard(s) P = the student has partially met the grade level standard(s) D = the student did not meet the grade level standard(s)
Grade Letter | Percentage Score | Degree Class |
---|---|---|
B | 60% – 69% | Upper Second 2:1 |
C | 50% – 59% | Lower Second 2:2 |
D | 40% – 49% | Third 3 |
E | 30% – 39% | FAIL |

What is a Fail in GCSE? Anything below a 4 is a fail under the UK grading system, with U standing for 'ungraded', which was the same in the previous system.
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Grade | Percentage Uniform Mark Range |
---|---|
E | 40-49 |
F | 30-39 |
G | 20-29 |
Yes, there are universities which will accept 3 Es and sometimes 2 Es. They tend to be the least famous ones, and not for subjects with the highest competition for places. Grade E is worth 16 points, so 3 Es are 48 points.
E (Failing Grade) Earned by work that is unsatisfactory and unworthy of course credit. This grade may also be assigned to students who do not submit required work in courses from which they have not officially withdrawn.
Level 1 qualifications are: first certificate. GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G.
One year later, administrators changed the failing grade to F and tweaked the other letters. The new scale offered better symmetry, since each grade represented five points, with scores below 75 resulting in failure. (The E was promoted to cover scores from 75 to 79.)
Class interval | Letter grade | Remarks |
---|---|---|
65-<69 | D+ | Deficient Passing |
60-<65 | D | Deficient Passing |
00-<60 | F | Failing |
I | Incomplete |
Is C a failing grade?
A grade of C or better is required to earn a Passed; a C- or below will earn a Not Passed grade. A grade of C- may satisfy many requirements (e.g., General Education, elective) but a Not Passed grade will not earn any credit or satisfy requirements.
Quebec. Quebec's passing mark is 60% and not 50% as compared to some other provinces. Note that it is common practice for students to pass with grades in the range of 55% to 59% at the teacher's discretion.
* Average calculations will INCLUDE failed marks. All marks below 50% are considered failures. Failing marks below 40% will be included in average calculations as 40%, marks from 40% to 49% will be included as the actual mark reported.
Grades A–F in the United States
In primary and secondary schools, a D is usually the lowest passing grade. However, there are some schools that consider a C the lowest passing grade, so the general standard is that anything below a 60% or 70% is failing, depending on the grading scale.
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What's the GCSE grading system?
An E or D is still a pass at A-Level - but it will result in lower UCAS points. A pass is indicated by one of six grades, A*, A, B, C, D or E, - where A and A* is the highest grade and E is the lowest. In order to meet the pass criteria, you must get an E grade or above on results day.
What is a Fail in GCSE? Anything below a 4 is a fail under the UK grading system, with U standing for 'ungraded', which was the same in the previous system.
E grade (Unofficial Withdrawal) – An “E” grade can only be assigned to a student who ceases to attend a course prior to sixty percent (60 %) of the duration of the semester, and fails to officially withdraw from that course.
There is no penalty for failing your GCSEs, but you won't be able to complete your A-levels without it. There's also the fact that specific jobs require GCSEs, which would mean that failing your GCSEs will set you back.
It's normal to feel disappointed. Failing your GCSEs can feel like the end of the world. You might feel like you're the only one who's failed, but it's actually quite common. GCSEs aren't easy, and a lot of people don't get the grades they want.
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