Don't despair over changes to exam marking system

This year’s exam system has been described as “confused” as students collected results which were marked in two different ways.

For the first time in England, GCSE English and maths students sat a new curriculum, with an extra maths paper, and were tested at the end of two years while other subjects were modular.

English and maths gave been graded numerically, from 1-9, with nine being the highest, while other subjects remain at the old A* to C.

Headteachers said they found it hard to get an overall picture of success rates, but schools across Lancashire fared well with results continuing to be good, with many topping the national average for the gold standard grades.

With all this change and uncertainly, it is easy to see why many students are feeling the pressure

Nick Burnham, principal at Cardinal Newman College in Preston had a this message for students.

He said: “For many students, GCSE results and enrolling at college will be simple and straight forward, you’ve got the grades you need, so you go along to your college of choice and sign up to those courses you have been thinking about all year.

But what happens if your results aren’t quite what you were anticipating?

It would be easy to allow panic to creep in, but that won’t help anyone. If you have an enrolment appointment at Cardinal Newman, we would advise you to still come along to your appointment.

College enrolment appointments are not only about signing you up to your course, but also a great opportunity to get advice and guidance about your next steps.

So if you haven’t got quite what you needed?

We will do our best to find a path that’s right for you.

“We pride ourselves on being a college where

With all this change and uncertainly, it is easy to see why many students are feeling the pressure.

Nick added: “ Everyone can achieve their full potential.”