Today, the nervous wait is over for those collecting their GCSE results.
This year, GCSE results have fallen across the board. The proportion of learners gaining a C or above dropped by an unprecedented 2.1 percentage points (down to 66.9% for A*-C grades), including a sharp decline in those gaining a C or above in English.
It’s been reported that this is partially due to the fact that higher numbers of students sat English and maths GCSEs this year, as a result of new government policies that forced 17-year-olds who achieved a D or lower in English and maths last year to re-sit. This has meant a 34 per cent rise in the number of 17-year-olds retaking these exams.
However, grades also dropped among 16-year-olds; A*-C grades were down 1.3 percentage points. The drop in results isn’t really surprising – there has been a general downward trend since 2011, after Ofqual acted to address grade inflation by keeping the percentage of pupils achieving each grade broadly the same.
This year’s results mark the last of the current format of GCSEs for maths and English. From next year onwards, exams will be more rigorous and graded on a 9-1 scale, and this will also be phased in for other subjects over the following two years.
Another change is that schools will now be rated according to new performance measure, Progress 8. This will show how much progress pupils make in secondary schools, rather than just looking at the proportion of pupils achieving a grade C or higher in five GCSE subjects, including English and maths. These results will be published by the Department for Education later this year.
We’d like to congratulate all learners on their results today, but we’d also like to take the opportunity to remind you that no matter what GCSE results you got, there are lots of options for you to choose from. If A Levels aren’t for you, why not consider an apprenticeship? They’re now available in most sectors and allow you to earn as you learn, while getting valuable work experience and staying free of debt. Recently, a report from Barclays and the Centre for Economics and Business Research has argued that those entering apprenticeships after school could have much higher lifetime earnings than those going into graduate careers.
Hear what Conrad Bunday has to say about his experience as an apprentice. Now aged 20, Conrad has completed a Level 3 apprenticeship and is already the manager of a Costa Coffee store. Watch the video below to hear Conrad talk about his journey so far, why choosing an apprenticeship was such a good decision, and his career aspirations for the future.
You can also find out more about the range of full and part apprenticeships we offer.
If you’re a school and would like to chat to us about how our V Cert qualifications for 14-16 year-olds could help boost your pupils’ achievement next year, feel free to contact us on 0191 240 8822 / [email protected], or visit https://www.ncfe.org.uk/schools.
