Average GCSE Scores
Prior Attainment is crucial to your Alps analysis as it provides the baseline score from which we can measure your student progress. Without this baseline, we won’t be able to provide value-added analysis. This article will show you how to calculate and import your average GCSE Scores as Prior Attainment.
Step 1 - Prepare your Data in Excel
You'll need to prepare a marksheet that has the Student ID you are using in Alps for your KS5 students alongside their GCSE grades. It needs to look like the screenshot below:
Step 2 - Delete Vocational Courses
We do not take vocational courses into consideration when calculating the scores, so please delete these subjects from your file. We have highlighted a vocational course below as an example:
Step 3 - Split Combined Science
We treat the Combined Science subject as 2 separate grades in the calculation, so please split these over 2 columns in Excel. This short video will show you how to do this:
Step 4 - Convert your Grades to the Equivalent Points
Now you're ready to convert your grades in Excel. The easiest way to do this is to use the find and replace tool in Excel.
For England and International schools following the 9-1 curriculum, you don't need to convert your 9-1 grades as the Alps point equivalent is the same. If you still have any A*- G grades in your data, then please convert them to the following numbers:
| GCSE | Alps Point Equivalent |
| A* | 8.5 |
| A | 7 |
| B | 5.5 |
| C | 4 |
| D | 3 |
| E | 2 |
| F | 1.5 |
| G | 1 |
| U | 0 |
For schools in Wales and Isle of Man, please convert all of your grades to these scores:
| GCSE | Alps Point Equivalent | GCSE | Alps Point Equivalent | |
| 9 | 8 | A* | 8 | |
| 8 | 7.67 | A | 7 | |
| 7 | 7 | B | 6 | |
| 6 | 6.33 | C | 5 | |
| 5 | 5.67 | D | 4 | |
| 4 | 5 | E | 3 | |
| 3 | 4 | F | 2 | |
| 2 | 3 | G | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | U | 0 | |
| U | 0 |
For schools in Northern Ireland, please convert all of your grades to these scores:
| GCSE | Alps Point Equivalent | GCSE | Alps Point Equivalent | |
| 9 | 8 | A* | 8 | |
| 8 | 7.67 | A | 7 | |
| 7 | 7 | B | 6 | |
| 6 | 6.33 | C* | 5.5 | |
| 5 | 5.67 | C | 5 | |
| 4 | 5 | D | 4 | |
| 3 | 4 | E | 3 | |
| 2 | 3 | F | 2 | |
| 1 | 1 | G | 1 | |
| U | 0 | U | 0 |
This short video will show you how use the find and replace tool to easily convert your grades to the equivalent scores:
Step 5 - Use the Average Formula in Excel
After converting your grades you then need to use the average formula in Excel to calculate your Avg. GCSE Scores. This video will show you how to do this:
Step 6 - Import your Scores into Alps
Now you've calculated your scores using the average formula in Excel you can now import your Avg. GCSE Scores into Alps: