GCSE top grades down on last year as educational inequality widens

The proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades has fallen from last year.

Hundreds of thousands of teenagers in England , Wales and Northern Ireland picked up their results on Thursday morning in a year when grades were due to be restored to 2019 levels in all three nations.

Many of the pupils who are receiving their grades were in Year 7 when schools closed due to the pandemic and schooling became disrupted.

More than a fifth (21.8 per cent) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades - at least a 7 or an A grade - this year, down 0.2 percentage points on last year when 22 per cent of entries achieved the top grades.

This is higher than the equivalent figure for 2019 - before the pandemic caused the closure of schools - of 20.8 per cent.

The proportion of entries getting at least a 4 or a C grade - considered a “standard pass” - has fallen from 68.2 per cent in 2023 to 67.6 per cent this year - a drop of 0.6 percentage points, but higher than 67.3 per cent in 2019.

The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9 per cent, down from 98.0 per cent in 2023 and 98.3 per cent in 2019. This is the lowest 1/G figure for nearly two decades, since 97.8 per cent in 2005.

In England, exams regulator Ofqual said it expected this year’s national results to be “broadly similar” to last summer, when grades were brought back in line with pre-pandemic levels.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators aimed to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer - a year later than in England.

It comes after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE and A-level grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

But last week, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades rose on last year and surpassed pre-pandemic highs.

While traditional A*-G grades are used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest.

A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A.

The latest Ofqual figures show the attainment gap in GCSE results between private and state schools in England has widened at the top grades this year.

This summer, nearly half (48.4 per cent) of private school entries scored a grade 7 and above compared to 19.4 per cent of those at comprehensive schools - a gap of 29 percentage points. Last year this gap was 28.2 percentage points.

But the gap between private and comprehensive schools has narrowed compared to 2019 - when it was 29.3 percentage points.

Figures from JCQ show that London and the South East remain ahead in top grades compared to other regions of England, with more than a quarter of entries scoring at least a grade 7 (London 28.5 per cent, South East 24.7 per cent).

At the other end of the table, the North East has the lowest proportion, with 17.8 per cent of entries scoring at least a grade 7.

The gulf between London and the North East has closed marginally - this year the gap was 10.7 percentage points while in 2023 it was 10.8 percentage points.

Leaders in the education sector have warned that the cohort has had to overcome a series of challenges in their secondary schooling in recent years.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the results show “significant differences” in regional outcomes for GCSEs in England.

He said: “This suggests that relative levels of prosperity and socioeconomic disadvantage continue to play a huge part in educational outcomes, and addressing these gaps must be a key priority for the new government working alongside the education sector.

“We have to do more to support our schools and colleges. Funding and teacher shortages, combined with post-pandemic issues around mental health, behaviour and attendance, have made circumstances particularly challenging.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “These pupils have shown remarkable resilience and determination, defying unprecedented disruption throughout the pandemic, Raac and strike action.”

She added that the government was “committed” to breaking down barriers to opportunity by addressing “entrenched” regional disparities.

Nearly 373,000 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results have also been awarded to pupils.

Jill Duffy, chairwoman of JCQ board of directors and chief executive of OCR exam board, said: “We’re seeing a record number of results issued today, and every one of them represents a student’s hard work, as well as that of their teachers, parents, and support staff.”

In Scotland, results for National 5 qualifications earlier this month showed the pass rate was 77.2%, down from 78.8% last year and 78.2% in 2019.

More follows on this breaking news story