Top grades in GCSE maths have seen a boost after grade boundaries were adjusted to reflect an improvement in “what students know, understand and can do”. The proportion of maths results at grade 7 and above jumped 3.7 per cent, from 21.5 per cent last year to 22.3 per cent this year. There was also a 1.9 per cent rise in the proportion of maths results at grade 5 and above, from 52.8 to 53.8 per cent. It comes after an annual sampling exercise run to help with exam grading each year identified “clear and sustained” improvement in maths. Exams regulator Ofqual “instructed exam boards to reflect this evidence of improvement in their setting of grade boundaries, in the upper grade range”. The results do, however, show a slight fall in the proportion of pupils getting a grade 4 or above in maths, meaning more will need to re-take it in the post-16 phase. Meanwhile, the proportion of GCSE English results at grade 7 and above fell by 0.5 per cent, from 19.5 to 19.4 per cent. Pass rates up slightly Across all subjects, the grade 5 pass rate – considered a “strong pass” – increased by 0.9 per cent from 55 per cent last year to 55.5 per cent. This is also higher than in 2019 (53.5 per cent). The grade 4 pass rate – considered a “standard pass” – increased by 0.3 per cent from 70.5 per cent last year to 70.7 per cent this year. Again, this is higher than in 2019 (69.9 per cent). The proportion of pupils achieving a grade 4 or above fell slightly in maths and increased in English. Those who don’t reach the standard pass in English and maths at GCSE must continue to study and re-sit exams in the subject in sixth form or college. This year, 71.4 per cent of grades in GCSE English were at grade 4 and above, up 1.1 per cent on the 70.6 per cent seen last year. In maths, 71.8 per cent of GCSEs were a grade 4 or above, down 0.1 per cent from 71.9 per cent last year. More results at grade 7+ Across all subjects, the proportion of GCSE results at grade 7 and above jumped just 0.4 per cent, from 23 to 23.1 per cent. The proportion at grade 5 and above rose from 55 to 55.5 per cent, an increase of 0.9 per cent. Grade 9s remained stable at 5.2 per cent. Ian Bauckham, Ofqual’s chief regulator, said: “Whatever their results say today, students can be proud of what they’ve achieved. These are their grades, earned through their hard work, and they will open doors to their future. “These qualifications can be trusted because they are regulated to a high standard.” However, like last week’s A-level results, GCSE data this week shows regional disparities continue to grow. The gap in the proportion of top grades between London and the north east now stands at 10.9 percentage points. Maths boost predicted in sampling test Ofqual’s executive director of delivery Amanda Swann wrote in a blog post that the boost in top maths grade was a “direct reflection of stronger student attainment”, which was backed up by the results of the National Reference Test. The NRT is taken by a sample of students each year to monitor pupil performance over time and inform GCSE grading. Ofqual said the test had “shown a small rise in attainment in maths at grade 7 in recent years. “The trend is now clear and sustained against the 2017 benchmark. It is highly likely that this improvement is also present across the higher grade range. That change is a genuine improvement in what students know, understand and can do. “On this basis we instructed exam boards to reflect this evidence of improvement in their setting of grade boundaries, in the upper grade range. It means those grade boundaries are lower than they otherwise would have been.” Ofqual also said the boost in performance was “consistent with a wider picture in maths which includes the strong take-up and outcomes in A-level maths and further maths seen last week”. Myles McGinley, managing director of Cambridge OCR, said: “At the top grades, student performance is getting better. Combined with the growing interest in maths and further maths at A-level, this could show how the current GCSEs have really worked for these students who have an affinity for the subject. “This is only half the story of course. Now we really need to look at ways of improving performance for those students who lack confidence in maths. Often this confidence is lost very early on and the size of the GCSE makes it difficult to catch up. We need to look at much earlier interventions to get the fundamentals in place.” Ofqual warned that for English language, the NRT shows a “different picture”. “Results at grade 7 are not statistically significantly different to 2017. At grade 4, there is an indication that attainment has fallen since 2017. “However there has not yet been a consistent enough trend over time to justify any action this year, given the cautious way in which we use evidence from the NRT.”