Secondary School Assessments

At GFM in our Secondary school, we follow a five-year assessment scheme, which is in line with the new GCSE grading system. Grades are presented by the school in your child’s report card as an indication of what GCSE grade your child would obtain if they sat for their exams now. GCSE grades run from 9-1, with 9 being the highest achievable mark. As a school, we have introduced minus (-) and plus (+) to show progress within the year. For example, a pupil with a -3 is working at the lower end of the grade boundary, where a pupil with a 3+ is working at the higher end of that grade boundary. It is important to note that minus (-) and plus (+) do not exist as final GCSE grades. 

As a school, we have set our minimum expectation for pupils to achieve grade 5 at the end of year 11.

Ongoing assessment is used throughout the school year to obtain your child’s grade. In class, teacher-based assessment is used, with unit checks and formal exams there to help inform the teacher’s decision.

Pupils are taught to and assessed against the following level descriptors. Grades for individual topics and sub-topics may differ and therefore the teacher provides a holistic grade, encompassing all topics on your report card.

Please below click on the below links to access the assessments rubrics: