I think the instructors were pleased with the overall results, but according to Wikipedia an F is probably considered a failing grade for the GCSEs:
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_g ... ed_Kingdom
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is graded on an 8-point scale of A*-A-B-C-D-E-F-G, with U as Unclassified (Failed). However, from September 2015 onwards, the GCSE will be graded on a 9-point scale ranging from 1-9, so that the best students academically can get a good result.
Although any grade from A*-G is officially a pass, many employers accept only A*-C[citation needed]. The headline official school league table also measures only A*-C grades achieved.[3] Many sixth form colleges require at least 5 grades A*-C to progress on to Further education. Grade C of GCSE corresponded to grade C of GCE Ordinary Level in the late 1980s, which in turn corresponded to a pre-1975 pass.[4]
Here's another link that has a pretty good explanation, but it's from several years ago, so I'm not sure it's still accurate:
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/i ... 041AAZY0ab