Exam Information

GCSE Results Day: Thursday, 20th August 2026.

Letter to Parents/Carers: Year 11 GCSE Results Day and Presentation Evening 2026

Key Times & Access Arrangements

• Results available from 9:30 AM, Thursday, 20th August 2026 in the Hall at Risedale School.
• School collection window: In the main Hall between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM. We're excited to see all our pupils during this time and to celebrate the culmination of their hard work and achievements.  If your child can't make it during the morning collection window, the school reception will be open until 3:30 PM to collect results at any other point during the day. Any results not collected in person will be sent out by first-class post.
• Grade boundaries published at 8:00 AM by exam boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, NCFE)

How Pupils Will Receive Their Results

• In‑person collection: Pupils collect a sealed envelope with a printed result slip in school. Staff available for support.
• Email delivery: For those who requested results by email, we will send these out as early as possible after the main body of pupils have collected their results in school.
• Postal copy: Any results not collected in person by 15:30 will be sent out by first-class post.

If You Can't Collect Your Results In Person

• If you're unable to collect your results yourself, you can nominate a parent/carer or trusted adult to do so on your behalf. Please complete the form below, and the person collecting must bring identification.
• Link to Form: Results Collection Permission Slip 2026
• Alternatively, you can email our Exams Officer (whitfield.a@riseale.org.uk) in advance, providing the name of the person collecting your results, their relationship to you, and stating that you give them permission to collect.

Understanding the Results Slip

Your results slip will show:

• Guide for Parents: Ofqual has created a guide to help you understand the GCSE 9-1 grading scale. You can access this guide here: GCSE 9 to 1 grade scale explained - GOV.UK.
• Tier (Foundation/Higher where applicable)
• Final grade (9–1 scale; 9 highest)
• Combined Science shown as a double grade (e.g., 7‑6)

Important checks:

• English Language & Maths first — Grade 4 = standard pass; Grade 5 = strong pass.
• Grades needed for intended A‑Level subjects (usually grade 5+, sometimes 6–7).
• Total number of grade 4s/5s if your sixth form has minimum entry requirements.

Next Steps After Opening Results

• Confirm your sixth form or college place. Staff will be available on the day.
• If grades affect your offer, speak to the support team immediately — alternative pathways may still be available.
• If a grade looks wrong, you can request:
• Review of marking
• Access to scripts
• Appeal  (Reviews can change grades up or down.)
• Consent Form (Please sign the consent form for review)

If You Are Unhappy With Your Results

• Discuss concerns with teachers on the day.
• Consider a remark (deadline usually late August).

Emotional & Practical Support

• Pastoral staff available on the day
• Quiet space for pupils who need privacy
• Guidance on next steps, appeals, and post‑16 options
• Support for pupils feeling overwhelmed (common and normal)

Advise to Parents

Tips for supporting your child: In partnership with UCAS,  the Department for Education has published practical tips to help parents guide their children through results day. Read it here: Supporting your child on Results Day

Advise to Pupils

A joint letter from Ofqual and UCAS: This letter addresses common questions pupils might have, such as:

• JCQ Post Results.  JCQ Post Results 2026
• "How are grade boundaries set?" Grade Boundaries 2026
• "How can I appeal against my grades?" 
• "What if my results aren’t what I expected?"
• "How can I prepare for results day?" JCQ Infographic 2026

Exploring Post-16 Pathways

At the end of year 11, it’s time to think about your options for the future and to make decisions for the next year or two. It is an exciting time, but can be daunting, so this guidance will help you make decisions about what to do next. National Careers Service

Other resources for pupils regarding  Post-16 Pathways can be found on our dedicated Careers website page.

Keeping in Touch: Email Addresses for Year 11 Pupils

Your school email will be disabled in September. Please complete the following form so we have your personal email address for future correspondence, and so we can contact you about your exam results, results enquiries, careers, or post-16 choices.

Link to Form: https://bit.ly/RisedaleY11Emails2026

JCQ, Ofqual and the awarding bodies provide lots of useful information for pupils and parents about examinations, wellbeing and exam stress, results and post-results services.

• Ofqual: Student Guide.
• Ofqual: Preparing for exams.
• Ofqual: Student checklist.
• Ofqual: Guidance on coping with exam pressure.
• AQA: Student and parent support, including managing exam stress and myth-busting grade boundaries.
• Eduqas: Student Support, including pages on wellbeing, revision resources and tips.
• NCFE: Customer and Learner Support: Support.
• OCR: Student support, including advice on avoiding procrastination and information about how we calculate your grade?
• Pearson: Support for you, which includes a page on exam preparation and one on exam stress and wellbeing.

Other resources for pupils regarding managing exam stress can be found on our dedicated Health & Wellbeing website page.

• Provisional GCSE Examinations Timetable Summer 2027

The school is holding examination certificates for last summer (2025) and a number of years prior to that, and would like to pass them on, where possible.

Former pupils are welcome to collect certificates by making an appointment with the Exams Officer (contact whitfield.a@risedale.org.uk).

If you need someone else to collect your certificates for you, we need your written permission, and they will need to bring identification. Please see the full details in the following LETTER, which has an example permission slip.

JCQ regulations state that certificates should be kept for 12 months, after which, if they remain uncollected, they may be disposed of securely.

We hope you will make every effort to collect your certificates as they are important documents which provide confirmation of your achievements. Most educational institutions and employers will ask to see your original certificates before offering you a place or job.  If you lose or fail to collect your certificates, you will need to obtain duplicates from the relevant Awarding Body. The Awarding Bodies no longer replace certificates unless you can prove they were destroyed by fire, theft or flood; they will only issue a Certified Statement of Results. This currently costs up to £57 per statement, depending on the Awarding Body.

Examination-specific policies can be found in the Policies area of the school website.

These include our Internal Appeals Policy, which clarifies the procedure in the event of the school not supporting a request by a pupil/parents for post-results services and also appeals after receiving the results of a review of marking for external qualifications.