How Rare Is It to Get All 9s in GCSE?

Getting all 9s in GCSE isn’t just hard-it’s incredibly rare. In England and Wales, where GCSEs are taken by around 600,000 students every year, only about 0.5% of entries achieve a grade 9. But getting a 9 in every single subject? That’s a different level entirely. Think of it this way: if you took 10 GCSEs, the odds of scoring a 9 in each one are less than one in a million. And yet, every year, a handful of students do it.

What Does a Grade 9 Actually Mean?

The grade 9 was introduced in 2017 when the GCSE system changed from letters (A* to G) to numbers (9 to 1). Grade 9 is meant to be more selective than the old A*. It’s not just ‘top marks’-it’s reserved for the very top performers, usually those in the top 3% of all candidates in that subject. To get a 9, you need near-perfect answers across exams, coursework, and practical assessments. One small mistake can drop you to an 8. And it’s not just about knowing the content. You need precision, timing, and the ability to write clearly under pressure.

How Many Students Get All 9s?

In 2023, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) reported that only 1,847 students in England and Wales achieved a grade 9 in every subject they took. That’s out of roughly 600,000 students sitting GCSEs. But here’s the catch: not everyone takes the same number of subjects. Most students take 8-10 GCSEs. Those who take 12 or more-often because they’re studying extra subjects like Further Maths or additional languages-have a better chance of being counted in the all-9s group. Still, even among those who take 10 or more, only about 1 in 300 gets every single grade 9.

Some schools report one or two all-9s students every few years. A few elite grammar schools might have five or six in a single year. But in most comprehensive schools, it’s a once-in-a-decade event. In some areas, no student has ever achieved it.

Who Gets All 9s?

There’s no single profile. Some are quiet, methodical students who plan every revision hour. Others are naturally quick thinkers who absorb material effortlessly. What they all have in common? They don’t just study-they master the exam format.

Take a student from Manchester who got all 9s in 2023. She didn’t do extra tutoring. She didn’t spend 12 hours a day revising. Instead, she did three things: she reviewed every past paper from the last 10 years, she wrote out model answers for every question type, and she timed herself strictly. She knew exactly how many marks each part of a question was worth-and she never wasted time.

Another student from Birmingham got all 9s while playing competitive piano. He revised during bus rides, used flashcards on his phone, and slept 8 hours a night. His secret? Consistency. Not cramming. Not burnout. Just steady, smart work.

What Subjects Are Hardest to Get a 9 In?

Not all GCSEs are created equal. Some subjects have far fewer grade 9s than others. In 2023, the hardest subjects to get a 9 in were:

• Mathematics (only 18% of entries got a 9)
• Physics (16%)
• Chemistry (15%)
• English Literature (14%)
• Further Mathematics (12%)

Meanwhile, subjects like Art, Drama, and Food Preparation had higher percentages of grade 9s-sometimes over 25%. Why? Because they’re more subjective. Examiners have more flexibility in awarding top marks based on creativity, originality, and presentation. In contrast, Maths and Sciences are rigid. One wrong step in a calculation, and you lose the mark. No mercy.

Why It’s So Hard to Get All 9s

It’s not just about being smart. It’s about endurance. You need to perform at your peak across multiple subjects, over several weeks of exams. One bad day-a migraine, a panic attack, a misread question-and you lose a 9. And if you’re taking 10 subjects, you’re sitting 20-30 exam papers. Each one demands full focus.

Also, the exam boards don’t make it easy. They design papers to stretch the very best. In Maths, you might get a question that combines algebra, geometry, and statistics in a way you’ve never seen before. In English, you might be asked to compare a 19th-century poem with a modern song lyric. There’s no ‘textbook’ answer. You have to think on your feet.

And then there’s the pressure. Parents, teachers, peers-all expecting perfection. Some students crack under it. Others thrive. The ones who succeed don’t chase perfection. They chase understanding.

What Happens After All 9s?

Students who get all 9s often go on to top sixth forms and then to Oxbridge or other elite universities. But it’s not a guarantee. Universities don’t just look at grades. They want essays, interviews, and evidence of curiosity. One student who got all 9s in 2022 told me: “I got into Cambridge because I talked about how I built a robot in my garage-not because I had ten 9s.”

Some students with all 9s end up in apprenticeships or vocational paths. Why? Because they discovered a passion outside academics. One girl got all 9s, then chose to become a veterinary nurse. She didn’t need university. She just needed the right skills.

Can You Train to Get All 9s?

Yes-but not by memorizing. You can’t train your way into a 9 in Maths if you don’t understand why a formula works. You can’t get a 9 in English Literature if you only know the plot of the novel. You need depth.

Here’s what actually works:

1. Master the mark scheme. Know exactly what examiners want for each grade.
2. Do past papers under timed conditions. Not just once-five times.
3. Get feedback on every essay or problem set. Don’t just check the answer-ask why you lost marks.
4. Teach someone else. If you can explain it simply, you understand it.
5. Rest. Sleep, eat, move. Your brain needs recovery to perform at its peak.

And forget the myth of the ‘natural genius’. The students who get all 9s aren’t born that way. They’re the ones who showed up every day-even when they didn’t feel like it.

Is It Worth It?

Some students fixate on getting all 9s. They sacrifice sleep, hobbies, friendships. They become anxious. And then, if they miss one grade? They feel like failures.

Here’s the truth: no university, employer, or scholarship committee cares if you got all 9s. They care if you can solve problems, think critically, and keep going when things get hard. Those are the skills that last.

One student I spoke to got eight 9s and one 8. She was devastated. But she got into Imperial College London for engineering. She’s now leading a team developing clean energy tech. Her 8? In Art. She didn’t care. She loved engineering.

So yes-it’s rare. And yes-it’s impressive. But it’s not the only path to something great.