Most GCSE courses are usually taught over a two year period in years 10 and 11 (Key Stage 4). GCSE Examinations are offered to pupils at North Axholme by different Examination Boards or Awarding Bodies.

The websites of these Awarding Bodies provide a wealth of information for parents and pupils and give detailed information about syllabuses, schemes of assessment, past papers, and even examination mark schemes.

The five Awarding Bodies and their respective websites are:

At the start of their GCSE studies, students are advised by their teachers of the examination board, the syllabus and the "subject code" of the course they will be following.

Pupils sit most of their GCSE examinations during the final term of year 11, but some may have the opportunity to take a GCSE earlier.

The modular nature of certain courses means some tests are taken in year 10, as well as year 11. The results of these tests contribute to the final GCSE grade that is awarded.

Coursework features prominently in many courses and must be completed by the due date if a GCSE grade is to be awarded.

GCSE pass grades are A*, A, B, C, D, E, F, G. (A*, A, B and C are used by the Government as a measure of a student's and a school's performance - a much quoted figure is the percentage of pupils who gain five or more A* to C grades.)

Pupils who do not achieve a pass grade are awarded a U (unclassified) grade.

Our Key Stage 4 students may also be studying for EDEXCEL BTEC qualifications alongside their GCSEs.  Courses currently offered include Sport, Media, Vocational Studies, Art and Design and Applied Science.  All pupils who take ICT in years 10 and 11 are working towards the OCR Level 2 ITQ qualification.  Adult Literacy and Numeracy (ALAN) Tests are also available from EDEXCEL.