The new GCSE grades: An employer's perspective

Each summer teenagers up and down the country nervously await their GCSE results. However, this year pupils have even more reason to feel anxious, with schools bracing themselves as the new 9- 1 grading scale replaces the old A* - G system for the first time.

The new grading system will show up in three subjects: Maths, English Literature and English Language. Over the next two years, the scale will be phased in for all other GCSEs.

The dramatic shift will allow for greater differentiation among high-achievers, the government hopes, with far fewer students achieving a 9 than the number who were awarded an A* last year.

Dr Tim Leunig, a chief analyst at the Department of Education (DofE), predicted that only two pupils in the whole country will achieve straight 9s when the system fully kicks in.

The system has already been a cause of stress and confusion not only amongst pupils, parents, and teachers, but also employers.

In an effort to reduce confusion, the government has had to spend £380,000 ‘explaining’ the new system to both schools and employers.

So what exactly do employers think of the new GCSEs, and how will it affect their recruitment process?

According to Milkround, the UK's most widely used student and graduate job website, “employers will need to consider reforming their entry requirements to ensure they are reflective of the new grades”.

“This will be particularly important during the transition period where students over the next three years, where students will receive a mixture of numerical and letter-based grades,” explained Francesca Parkinson, Head of Marketing at Milkround.

Ms Parkinson did say that the new system might prove “beneficial” to employers, as they’ll be able to differentiate between the top achievers.

However, she also stressed that GCSE grades shouldn’t be the only thing employers take into consideration.

“We would advise employers to ensure that they don’t solely measure the potential of a student on their grades alone. Many young people build and develop skills that can be valuable to businesses outside of the exam room.”

Linda Emery, Head of Graduate Recruitment at KPMG UK, agrees.

“When assessing a candidate at graduate level we focus on the capabilities and behaviours that the individual demonstrates, as well as the qualifications they have attained: GCSEs are just one element of this process,” she said.

“We are looking for candidates with certain skills and behaviours, such as making an impact, resilience and the ability to collaborate.

“These capabilities are essential to be able to thrive in a career at KPMG, and in many instances these competencies can be obtained through real life experience rather than through a formal qualification, for example through academia, part-time jobs or extra-curricular activities to name but a few.”

Jack Parsons, CEO of yourfeed.com, believes that the new system will have to lead to further emphasis placed on skills developed outside of the classroom.

“GCSEs are an important gateway to future opportunities, be that Further Education, apprenticeships or employment. However, the new rankings being trialled this year will make results more unpredictable, making them not entirely reflective of a student's ability.

"Employers must now place equal emphasis on young people’s skills and ambition when making hiring decisions, providing opportunities for young people to grow and develop on the job... instead of just looking at these new numbers on the CV.”

Although the new GCSEs may cause some confusion, it seems that while employers do look at academic qualifications, the perfect candidate often offers skills gained in and out of the classroom setting.