how to find out GCSE results from years ago

For many of us, our GCSE results would have been printed on a piece of paper and handed out to us on results day. This paper is often less than an A4 piece of paper in size and can be easily lost. Hiring a storage unit to look after your most important documents is a good idea for situations like this but if you can’t find your results we will let you know what your options are in this article.

Why keeping your GCSE results safe is important.

You may need to provide a potential employer or a university with proof of your GCSE results to be accepted for a job or position at Uni. Losing your GCSE results certificate is an added headache that you don’t need. But if you have lost it or you never had one to begin with here are some of the things you can do to get your results.

Some students don’t pick up their GCSE results, if you never picked up your results our advice would be to phone your school first. Your school will then be able to tell you what they have done with your results.

Usually, schools will keep your GCSE results for up to a year and then either send them back to the exam board or destroy them. If you are trying to find out your GCSE results from years ago then this is more than likely what has happened to your results certificate if you didn’t pick it up.

If you did pick your results up from your school but can no longer find them you will need to find out what exam board you sat your GCSEs with and then contact them to get your results. In this case, your school will be able to help you with finding the right exam board. Once you have found what exams you have taken, you will then be able to order replacements over the phone or the internet.

A direct replacement isn’t something the examing boards allow, what you will need to request is a “Certified Statement of Results” or a “Confirmation letter to a third party”.

Which exam board did I sit my GCSEs with?

There are a few different examing boards which you may have sat your exam with, these include AQA, WJEC, Edexcel and OCR. All of these examing boards work up and down the country so knowing which one you sat with is going to be difficult especially if it was many years ago.

Our advice to find out your GCSE results if they were from more than a year ago would be to first phone your school. You may find that your school has your certificate, but chances are they don’t. Your school will however be able to tell you what examing board you sat your GCSEs with.

When you know the examing board you sat your GCSEs with you can contact them to get the results sent out to you. You can also request that this document is sent straight to your boss or your university to show proof of grades. Getting a replacement certificate can take weeks so don’t leave this to the last minute.

Replacing lost certificates

When you have the required information from your school all you now need to do is go onto the examing board’s website and request a replacement certificate. As mentioned above, this certificate won’t be the original GCSE results certificate that you would have had originally, but it will be a confirmation of those results.

Getting a confirmation of your results can be time-consuming and it also requires you to pay a fee. You will also need to scan and send over proof of identity. You will then need to send your payment via a bank transfer.

Digital copies and alternatives

If you have lost your physical documents and need a replacement check with the examining board you sat your exams with as there maybe alternatives or digital copies that you can download, this is often a cheaper option and it is much quicker too. Not all examining boards will have digital copies but it’s worth checking.

Storing your documents safely

If you have lost your documents and have now replaced them you should store them securely. Losing important documents in your home can be expensive and can sometimes be a lot of bother to replace. You should always secure your documents somewhere safe. If you don’t have anywhere safe to store your documents consider hiring a storage unit. At Urban Locker we have multiple sized storage units that can help.

What to do if your school or college has closed

Your exam results are managed by the exam board, not the school itself. So, even if your school has closed, the exam board will still have a record of your results. Identify which exam board (such as AQA, WJEC, Edexcel, or OCR) you took your GCSEs or other qualifications with.

You can find this information on any past exam papers or communications you may have kept. Once you know the exam board, contact them directly to request a replacement certificate or a certified statement of results.

If your school has closed recently, the local education authority (LEA) or the council may still have records. They can often direct you to the right steps or assist in contacting the exam board on your behalf. You can find the contact details of your LEA online.

Some exam boards offer online portals where you can access your exam results and in some cases, request certificates digitally. This is more common for more recent exam sessions, so check if the exam board offers this service.

If you’re unable to reach the exam board or LEA, you could try contacting former teachers or the headteacher (if they’ve moved to another school or are available) for advice on where the records might be stored or how to proceed.

Final Thoughts

Losing your results certificate can be a pain, especially when you need to show someone your results either for further study or for a job. If you are a student and need to keep documents safe we recommend our student storage which is affordable and is less stressful than losing your results papers.