Sheffield Exams 2023: GCSE and A-Level pupils head into exam period with pandemic support stripped back

The first exams will be sat tomorrow, on May 15, 2023, as pupils attempt dozens of tests ahead of their results days this summer. This year, the government has revealed support offered to pupils disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic has been almost completely stripped back.

AS, A-Level and Vocational Technical Qualification (VTQ) exams and assessments will return to pre-pandemic arrangments. Most GCSE exams are returning to normal as well.

The government’s education blog has revealed GCSE pupils will continue to receive exam support in GCSE Maths, physics and combined science, as acknowledgement students may “still have experienced some disruption”. These students will receive formulae and equation sheets during their exams.

Grading of exams will also include an allowance for disruption so results will be similar to those in 2019. Senior examiners will be able to “make allowances” when setting grade boundaries where national performance is found to be lower than it was prior to the pandemic.

The timetables for exams have also been spaced out, with the aim of giving students more time to revise for different papers for the same subject than before the pandemic.

When is GCSE/A-Level results day 2023?

Results days for exams will again be in August for 2023. The final exams will be sat on June 27, 2023, giving examiners just under two months to determine the nation’s grades.

AS Level and A-Level results day will be on August 17, 2023, with GCSE pupils finding out their results one week later on August 24.