What does P mean in GCSE results? The spoken language endorsement grades (Pass, Merit, Distinction, Not Classified) explained, what the assessment is, whether it matters, and what to do about an NC

A GCSE results slip for English Language has two grades on it: a number from 9 to 1, and next to it a letter, P, M, D or NC. The letter is the spoken language endorsement, and "what does P mean in GCSE results" is one of the most common questions on results day because almost nobody has explained it beforehand. This guide explains what the endorsement is, what each grade means, what the assessment involves, whether anyone later will care, and how to prepare a student who hates speaking in front of the class.

The short answer

P = Pass in the spoken language endorsement of GCSE English Language. The four possible grades are:

The endorsement is reported separately and does not count towards the 9 to 1 grade for English Language, which comes entirely from the written exam papers.

Why there is a separate grade

Until 2015, speaking and listening was worth 20% of the English Language GCSE and was assessed by teachers. Ofqual found that the marks could not be standardised across schools and that they inflated the grades of some centres, so it removed the component from the main grade and kept it as a separately reported endorsement. The assessment still has to be done (it is a requirement of the qualification), but it cannot change the number.

What the assessment is

Every exam board (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas) runs the endorsement the same way, under Ofqual's rules:

• A prepared presentation by the student on a topic of their choice, to an audience of at least the teacher (usually the class or a group), lasting a few minutes.
• Questions from the audience afterwards, which the student must answer.
• Assessed by the teacher against the board's criteria, usually in Year 10 or early in Year 11; a sample is recorded on video for the exam board to check the school's standards.
• Standard English is required.

There is no written element and no mark out of a total; the teacher decides which of the three grade descriptors the performance fits.

What each grade requires

The jump from Pass to Merit is mostly structure and development: a Pass student says what they think, a Merit student argues it in order with examples and answers questions with reasons. The jump to Distinction is confidence and precision.

Does it matter?

Mostly no, with three small exceptions.

• Sixth form, college and university entry requirements are written as 9 to 1 grades ("grade 4 or above in English Language") and never, in practice, as an endorsement grade. A P does not hold a student back.
• The certificate. The endorsement is printed on the GCSE certificate. An NC shows there for good, which is the only reason to make sure the presentation is done.
• Where speaking is the point. A Distinction is a small plus on applications for drama, performing arts, teaching and law courses, for apprenticeships with interviews, and on a CV at sixteen. It is not decisive anywhere.

What NC means, and what to do about it

NC, Not Classified, means the student either did not reach the Pass criteria or did not complete the assessment (absent, no recorded presentation, or the school had no evidence to submit). It is reported on the certificate in place of a grade.

If the student is still at school when the NC is first predicted, the fix is simple: ask the English teacher when the assessment can be done or redone; most schools run it more than once in Year 10 and 11. Once results are issued, the endorsement cannot be retaken on its own; a student who re-sits GCSE English Language (for example in November, or as a private candidate) is assessed again as part of the re-sit.

Preparing a student who dreads it

Many strong readers and writers get a P, or risk an NC, because they are frightened of speaking. The preparation that works:

1. Choose a topic the student already argues about at home: a game, a sport, a cause, a film. Real opinions are easier to deliver than researched ones.
2. Write the structure, not the script. An opening line, three points with one example each, a closing line. Reading a script aloud caps the grade at Pass.
3. Rehearse the questions. Ask the student the five most obvious questions and have them answer in full sentences with a reason. Responding well to questions is where Merit is won.
4. Practise in front of two people, then five. Each run through drops the fear by half.
5. Standard English and pace. No "like", "basically" or "innit"; slower than feels natural; eye contact at the start of each point.

Three or four rehearsals over a fortnight take most students from a probable P to an M.

Where we fit

Spoken language is part of our GCSE English classes: a master's-qualified English teacher, 1-on-1, rehearses the presentation with the student on camera, asks the questions, and gives feedback against the board's criteria, alongside the written papers that decide the number grade. From about £8 to £10 an hour, every class recorded, and the first class is free. Our guide to what a grade 9 is covers the number next to the letter.

Questions parents ask

See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →