GCSE and A-Level Reform 2025: Everything Students and Parents Need to Know

The examination system through which sixteen and eighteen-year-olds in England are assessed has been relatively stable since Michael Gove's reform programme of 2010–15. A new wave of changes — building on that foundation but introducing significant modifications — is now being implemented.

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GCSE Changes

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The most significant GCSE change affects grading and moderation. Coursework elements, which were substantially reduced in the Gove reforms, will increase in several subjects following evidence that the heavily exam-based approach disadvantages students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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The grade 9 — introduced in 2017 as a distinction above the old A* — will be awarded more sparingly, reversing grade inflation that has seen record proportions of students achieving 9s in recent years.

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A-Level Changes

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The removal of AS levels as a standalone qualification — already completed — is being followed by a narrower reform: increasing minimum content requirements in English Literature and History to include broader chronological and geographical coverage.

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The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) — an independent research project that universities regard favourably — is being encouraged through UCAS tariff changes that make it more attractive to students.

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What Universities Are Asking For

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The most significant shift in A-level context is the growing use of contextual admissions by selective universities. This means that grades are increasingly interpreted in the context of a student's school and socioeconomic background — making the headline grade less determinative than it once was.

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