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GCSE results 2021: Biology

Here are the trends in the latest biology GCSE results for summer 2021. The proportion of grade 9 results achieved by students, equivalent to a high A* under the old GCSE system, rose to 18.3 per cent, compared to 17 per cent in 2020 and 12.7 per cent in 2019. You can find the full […]

GCSE results 2021: English

Here are the trends in the latest English GCSE results for summer 2021. The proportion of grade 9 results achieved by English students, equivalent to a high A* under the old GCSE system, rose to 5.4 per cent, compared to 4.3 per cent in 2020 and 2.8 per cent in 2019. You can find the […]

GCSE results 2021: Mathematics

Here are the trends in the latest mathematics GCSE results for summer 2021. The proportion of grade 9 results achieved by maths students, equivalent to a high A* under the old GCSE system, rose to 6 per cent, compared to 5.4 per cent in 2020 and 3.7 per cent in 2019. You can find the […]

GCSE results 2021: Top grades rise to 30%, while disadvantaged gap widens

Three in ten GCSE results handed out this year were top grades, with the number of pupils scoring a flush of 9 grades having quadrupled since 2019. But Ofqual found there was a “slight widening” of the “longstanding” results gap between students on free school meals and their better-off peers. Today’s increase in top grades […]

GCSE results 2021: Top grades rise most at private and free schools

Private and free schools have seen the biggest jump in top grades in this year’s teacher-assessed GCSE results, figures show. Across England, the proportion of GCSE results overall at grade 7 and above—equivalent to a grade A under the previous system—rose to 28.7 per cent, up from 25.9 per cent last year and 20.7 per […]

‘Permanently rebase’ exam grades to 2020 levels, says former DfE adviser

Exam grades should be “permanently rebased” to 2020 levels despite fears about “baking in” grade inflation, a report by a former government education adviser has recommended. The Institute for Government’s Covid tests: school exams in 2022 and beyond report, written by former Michael Gove aide Sam Freedman, also called for a “full review” of secondary assessment. […]

DfE set to pay majority of £10k medical school move incentives

The Department for Education is set to stump up most of the cash for a scheme which will pay would-be medicine and dentistry students £10,000 to take up an alternative place if their chosen medical school is over-subscribed. It is understood the government expects to shoulder £6,500 of the cost of each payout under a […]

A-level results 2021: Top grades rise to 44% in record-breaking year

The proportion of top A-level grades handed out this year has increased to more than 44 per cent following the cancellation of exams and switch to teacher assessed grades. The record-breaking results saw 37 per cent of all A-level students in England get three As or better – more than double the 17.9 per cent […]

A-level results 2021: Attainment gap widens for black and poorer pupils

Longstanding attainment gaps for both black and poorer students have widened, but Ofqual is unable to untangle whether this is down to Covid lost learning or the use of teacher grades this year. Ofqual has today published student-level equalities analysis of A-level results, which includes data on how likely different groups of pupils are to receive […]