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Online puzzle GCSE

GCSE

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. Public schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. However, private schools in Scotland often choose to follow the English GCSE system.

Each GCSE qualification is offered as a specific school subject, with the most commonly awarded ones being: English literature, English language, mathematics, science (double & triple), history, geography, art, design and technology (D&T), business studies, economics, music, and modern foreign languages (E.g. Spanish, French, German) (MFL).

The Department for Education has drawn up a list of core subjects known as the English Baccalaureate for England based on the results in eight GCSEs, which includes both English language and English literature, mathematics, science (physics, chemistry, biology, computer science), geography or history, and an ancient or modern foreign language.

Studies for GCSE examinations take place over a period of two or three academic years (depending upon the subject, school, and exam board). They usually start in Year 9 or Year 10 for the majority of pupils, with around two mock exams – serving as a simulation for the actual tests – normally being sat during the first half of Year 11, and the final GCSE examinations nearer to the end of spring, in England and Wales.