By Chris Williamson-
GCSE grades awarded to students in the Uk have fallen this year, but remain higher than pre-COVID levels, due to lenient grading to reflect pandemic recovery.
Ministers told pupils as they opened their results today that the fall in grades was part of the plan to counter grade inflation which was introduced to compensate for the effect of the pandemic.
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Overall, 73.2% of GCSEs were marked at grades 4/C and above this year, down from 77.1% in 2021, when grades were based on teachers’ assessments.
The results are higher than in 2019, when 67.3% of marks were in the A-C bracket before the pandemic. A disparity in top grades was reflected between different regions of the Uk.
In Wales, 25.1% of grades were A and A* and in Northern Ireland 37% were A and A*
In London, 32.6% of grades were marked at grades 7/A and above, but in north-east England and in Yorkshire and the Humber, just 22.4% got top grade. It is unclear what factors have been responsible for the disparity in top grades across various regions, although some critics have blamed the government and out it down to more financial support for London schools.
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One possibility is that some regions have generally better schools or more motivated parents and pupils who produce the better grades.
In 2021, the proportion of GCSE entries that were awarded top grades rose to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row and pupils were awarded results based on teacher assessments.
Those collecting their grades today are the first cohort to sit physical exams since COVID and lockdowns forced the temporary overhaul of the education system.
The pattern seen today in figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) is similar to A-levels last week, with grades dropping below last year, but remaining above those from 2019.
The number of students given a 7 (equivalent to an A) is up by 5.5 percentage points on 2019, but down 2.6 percentage points on 2021.
This means the number of entries given the higher grade is down from 28.9% last year to 26.3% this year.
There were 5.7 million GCSE entries this year – down 0.6% from 2021. Entries by 17-year-olds, and those older, declined by 17%, continuing the pattern seen last year, indicating fewer retakes of English and maths.
Overall outcomes for female students remained higher, with 30% of their entries achieving a 7/A, compared with 22.6% for boys. The highest entry subjects remained unchanged from 2021, with double award science, mathematics, English, English literature, and history the most popular.
This year, exams were graded more generously in a bid to provide a safety net for students in the move back towards pre-pandemic arrangements.
The prime minister was among those congratulating students today, in a video posted to Twitter.
“I know how tough things have been over the last few years in education,” he said. I know that COVID hasn’t made things easy. So I wanted to say a massive thank you to everybody who has helped, all your teachers, the parents.
“But above all, I want to pay tribute to you, for your indefatigable hard work and for the results that you have achieved, and you should be really, really proud.”
Speaking before the official figures were released, education minister Will Quince said the lower grades were “very much part of the plan”.
“Over the last couple of years, we have had teachers assess grades, we have gone back for the first time to examinations,” he said.
“We recognise the fact that young people have faced huge disruption of the past couple of years, so there have been adaptations in place and Ofqual have reflected in their marking and grading.”
Bath Thomas, interim chief executive officer of JCQ, congratulated students on their results “after lots of hard work and all the challenges of the pandemic”.
She said: “We’re pleased that exams are back, as they’re the fairest way to assess students and give everyone the chance to show what they know.
Maddie Hallam with her mother receiving her GCSE results at Norwich School, in Norwich, Norfolk. Picture date: Thursday August 25, 2022.
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