Top GCSE grades increase while English grades witness historical dip

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The proportion of teenage students achieving A*- C grades at GCSE has risen for the first time in three years, while the results of English subject witness a huge dip in decades.

Despite a tougher exam pattern after major reforms in education system in England which prioritises linear tests rather than modules and coursework, still over two-third of the pupils made it through and passed the hurdle.

The significant volatility observed in English and maths results as an outcome of the changes brought in by former Education Secretary Michael Gove.

Results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland showed a huge fall in English grades, with 61.7% of entries scoring A*-C, down 1.9 percentage points from summer 2013. It is believed to be the biggest drop in the qualification’s history.

However, there is an opposite case with the Maths results, with 62.4% of entries gaining an A*-C grade, up a massive 4.8 percentage points from last year.

According to statistics published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), just over two-thirds (68.8%) of all entries scored A*- C, up 0.7 percentage points on last summer.

It has also been indicated that a few students received unexpectedly “shock results” which do not reflect their teachers’ assessments of their true abilities.

The schools minister, Nick Gibb has welcomed the improved results at the end of the “exam treadmill”: “Our education system cannot remain static . . . when young people leaving school, leaving university, are competing for jobs around the world in education systems that are improving year-on-year.”

General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), Russell Hobby has said: “Many schools have seen unexpected dips in their results, especially in English, with some reports of 20% dips in outcomes. It is great to have this level of transparency but we remain concerned about the factors creating such uncertainty.”

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