Summary
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This year was the first year of reformed GCSEs in English and maths in England. The changes, brought in by the Conservative government, introduce a numbered grade system, with an extra grade at the top for the highest achievers. Syllabuses have also been given more content.
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There was a fall in good GCSE passes in England. There were weaker results in history, maths and geography than last year, but the picture was complicated by changing patterns of entries and some substantial increases in numbers taking the tests as schools adjusted to the new process.
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The proportion of Northern Irish students receiving A to C grades was slightly up. About 30,000 pupils in the province received their grades this morning, with girls again outperforming boys. Almost 84% of girls obtained A to C grades; the corresponding figure for boys was more than 75%.
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In Wales there is concern over the number of younger pupils taking GCSEs. Kirsty Williams, the Welsh education secretary, said such candidates had not been given the chance to reach their full potential and that taking exams early also put a strain on school budgets.
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Teachers and headteachers’ unions have criticised the GCSE overhaul. The Association of School and College Leaders said there was too much focus on top achievers, while the NASUWT union said the new system was “rushed and poorly planned”.
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Half of pupils say they found mistakes in exam papers, according to a survey. The poll of GCSE takers by website The Student Room also found that three quarters of them were struggling to understand the new 9-1 grading system.
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The schools minister was forced to defend the changes. Despite criticism, Nick Gibb claimed the more exacting syllabuses meant children would be better educated. He insisted that most parents, teachers and employers understood the new grading system.
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Entries for French and German saw falls of 10% and 12% respectively. The British Academy warned the requirement of the English baccalaureate was failing to halt the decline in the numbers of pupils studying foreign languages at GCSE.
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But entries to physics GCSEs were up. In total, 141,977 pupils sat the exam, an increase of 1.6% on 2016. It means the science subject now accounts for 3.8% of the total papers sat, up from 2.7% last year.
Updated
Musicians have raised the alarm over a continuing decline in the numbers of pupils taking music GCSE, as government educational policies continue to emphasise the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.
The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), a representative body for more than 8,000 musicians, pointed to figures published by the Joint Council of Qualifications that showed a 7.7% fall in the numbers taking the subject.
Deborah Annetts, chief executive of ISM, said:
I would like to congratulate students on their hard work and achievements in GCSE music this year. We are however concerned by a worrying trend in which the uptake of music at GCSE continues to decline.
With the Department for Education determined to press on with their deeply damaging English baccalaureate (EBacc) proposals (despite widespread concerns from industry and Higher Education) then this year on year decline is only likely to continue.
This should be a wake-up call to government that their EBacc plans need to be rethought, before any more damage is done.
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The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of using an entire GCSE cohort as guinea pigs, as the party responded to today’s GCSE results.
Layla Moran MP, the Lib Dems’ education spokesperson, said her party was calling for the curriculum to be managed by an arms-length body that can take it out of the hands of politicians.
Students, teachers and schools should be given huge credit for making the best of a very challenging situation. Students only get one go at education, so it is not good enough for a whole cohort to be used as guinea pigs in this way. These changes were brought in far too quickly and without adequate investment.
This is why the Liberal Democrats have called for the curriculum to be taken out of the hands of politicians and instead managed by an arms length body that works with examining boards and teachers to ensure these major changes are properly resourced and thought through.
Influx of English lit students pulls down top grades
Comparing the results achieved by 16-year-olds in England between this year and last, performances showed an improvement in English language and maths, but the influx of pupils taking English literature may have pulled down results in the top grades.
In English language there was a good performance in the top grades, with 16.8% getting 7 or above compared with 16.2% last year. But in English literature, the percentage getting the top grades dropped from 21.7% last year to 19.1%.
Some 70.7% of pupils aged 16 in England gained a 4 or higher in maths, compared with 69.9% getting the equivalent grades in 2016.
Updated
The little sister of Martyn Hett, one of 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena bombing, is celebrating after receiving 11 A*s in her GCSEs.
Nikita Murray took her physics exam the day after she found out Martyn, a Coronation Street superfan from Stockport, had died — a choice her other brother described as “hands-down the toughest shit I’ve ever seen.”
She told the Guardian how she managed to revise the day after the bomb, when Martyn was still missing. “I was hoping that he would turn up and had just been sleeping or broken his phone or something,” she said.
The family were told on the evening of Tuesday 23 May that Martyn was dead. “I figured then that I might not be in the mood for it and might not make it in,” she said.
Yet the following morning, Nikita put on her school uniform and went to Stockport Grammar to take her exam. “It was a bit of a blur. I think I was on auto-pilot,” said the 16-year-old, who is taking maths, further maths, physics and classics at A-level.
The school arranged for her to sit her next set of exams in a room on her own, with a trusted teacher, telling her she could leave at any point, that she didn’t need to be there, and that they could use her predicted grades. “I felt very well supported and everything was explained to me,” she said.
But Nikita was determined to press on, and actually finished the physics exam half an hour before her time was up. She went on to sit nine more GCSEs while grieving for Martyn.
Her brother, Dan Hett, has written on Twitter how proud he is of her.
My little sister Nik is an actual hero. skip back to the literal day after we found out about Martyn being killed,” he wrote. “we were obviously completely numb, fried, drained. we’d been through something absolutely unreal and were all trying to figure it out.
I came downstairs, and Nik was sat on the stairs in full school uniform, tying her shoes. I couldn’t understand why. I didn’t even know what day it was at that point, it had been such a horrific few days.
She was putting her shoes on so she could go and sit a bunch of GCSE’s. I was utterly amazed, floored.
They told her she didn’t need to, that they’d use her predicted grades given everything that happened. Nik said: nope! and took the lot.
Under the most horrific conditions, after going through (and continuing to go through) it all, she didn’t skip a beat.
It was hands-down the toughest shit I have ever seen. Sleeves rolled up, get it done. nothing wasted despite it all.
She got her results today. Eleven A* grades. I have never been more proud or amazed by anyone.
In conclusion: my kid sister is the toughest person I have ever met. Don’t mess with her. Be inspired!
One man from Leeds re-took his maths GCSE after failing his maths O-level three decades ago.
Giles, 49 from Leeds: I took maths GCSE to understand what my kids have to go through
I decided to retake my GCSEs because there was one I hadn’t got and because I want to help my kids through the exam changes. My son will be sitting these exams soon.
I did the exam through AQA and Leeds city college and am happy to have attained a grade 5. I had a tutor who was brilliant. She was flexible and helped me to study around work. She also let me jump into a Friday morning class, so it was really nice flexible college.
I failed my maths O-level when I was younger. I don’t think there was as much pressure back in 1980s on GCSEs. It’s significantly more competitive these days.
I decided to do it to understand the exam system and see it from my kids point of view to help and support what they are going through. It taught me that it’s very tough on kids nowadays – a lot tougher than in 1984. I was very nervous abut the exams.
Having not sat a test for god knows how many years, it was a throw back. I did an awful lot of revision and cramming.
NI pupils buck trend of falling A-C grades
GCSE pupils in Northern Ireland have bucked the overall UK trend in a slight dip in A to C grades. Instead Northern Irish students’ A to C grades are up by 0.4% in the region.
Around 30,000 pupils in the province received their grades this morning with girls again outperforming boys. Almost 84% of girls obtained A to C grades while the corresponding figure for boys was over 75%.
Because power sharing government remains in deep freeze due to the political dispute between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein, there was no education minister on hand this morning to congratulate Northern Ireland’s pupils continued solid performance in GCSE grades.
Instead a spokesperson for the Department of Education in Belfast said: “Performance of local students in school examinations - A-levels, GCSEs, and their equivalents - remains strong and is a tribute to the efforts of students, teachers, parents and carers.”
Could you pass the new maths GCSE? This year the course has been made harder – with some content previously not taught until A-level – and a new grade of 9 has been introduced to cream off the very highest achievers.
We’ve put together an online quiz for readers to see how they would fare on the latest course. Sadly, in order to make the questions work online, we are not able to present the most complicated ones – and we have got to give you multiple choice options for the answers. And unlike real students, you do not have to show your working. Although you can always post it in to us if you feel so inclined.
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Identical twins who are pupils at Manchester High School for Girls, Sophie and Victoria Xu-Tang from Didsbury, notched up 16 A*s, an A* with distinction and five 9 grades between them. Of the two it was Victoria who was one of the 2,000 pupils to achieve 3 grade 9s.
Victoria commented: “I am so thrilled with my exam results, they’re insane. I worked really hard in the run up to the exams and did lots of past papers but I never thought I’d achieve anything like this. I’m going to take chemistry, maths, further maths, physics and art at A-level but have no idea what career path I’d like to follow. Thankfully, with these results my options are wide open.”
Victoria added: “Achieving three grade 9s in mathematics, English language and English literature is a great feeling. Nobody knew how the new system was going to play out so it’s been a really nerve-racking wait.
“It’s fantastic that both my sister and I will progress into the sixth form at Manchester High together. I want to be a doctor so know there are many years of study ahead but my sister is always there to support me, willing me on.”
It costs £11,472 a year to send a child to Manchester High School for Girls.
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A teenager who escaped with her family from the Grenfell Tower fire on the eve of her chemistry GCSE has been awarded an A grade in the subject, the Press Association reports.
Ines Alves, who lived with her mother, father and brother on the 13th floor, fled the burning tower block in the middle of the night with just her phone and chemistry notes before sitting the 9am exam in the same clothes she left in.
The 16-year-old also gained the highest possible grade, a 9, in her maths GCSE - equivalent to above an A* under the old system. Speaking at Sacred Heart high school in Hammersmith, west London, moments after opening her results, she said: “It’s good. I’m quite happy with my grades.”
She added: “I wish I did more, but then again, I don’t know, it hasn’t sunk in yet. For the exams I missed, I didn’t do too well in them overall.”
Ines missed two history exams, one RE exam and one physics exam in the days after the fire, which affected her overall grades. But she gained an A* in her Spanish GCSE, with headteacher Marian Doyle calling her results “fantastic”.
She plans to study chemistry, maths, economics and sociology when she begins her A-levels later this year.
Updated
Grade 9s 'like the Spinal Tap amps that go to 11', says academic
The introduction of a new grade above A* is the educational equivalent of the Spinal Tap amplifiers that go up to 11, the geographer and social thinker Danny Dorling has said.
In his book Injustice, Dorling, who is Halford Mackinder professor of geography at Oxford University, writes about the British education system’s focus on continual examination and celebration of pupils with top grades is an expression of a belief that elitism somehow makes society more efficient.
I emailed Dorling this morning to ask him what he thinks of the government’s decision to introduce grade 9 as a new way to differentiate the very top achievers at A-level. In his reply, he said:
A country that was *less* caught up in the misery of elitism would be down-playing the importance of exams taken at age 16. They would be internal to the school. Different children peak at different ages and almost any child can be hot-housed to get a high mark, but such hot-housing is not good education.
We would do better to worry more about our youngsters’ ability to speak many languages, having a wider range of understanding and being more imaginative.
But we are told that the best you can do is get a 9 in a GCSE which means doing almost exactly what you are supposed do and not deviating from the syllabus or expected answers - or even the type of grammar you should use in those answers. (Even in geography it is more important to get your commas in the right place than it is to understand the importance of climate change and what causes it; and to worry about whether you capitalise Geography or not.)
Academy schools are now selective at age 16, and so the new GCSEs have become the new 11 plus in England - or at least in those parts of England where all or most of the comprehensives are now academies.
At some point in the future a secretary of state of education will introduce a mark of 10, an A***.
Next one will institute an 11, and A****
At this point someone may notice the similarity to the movie Spinal Tap which came out when I took my O levels in 1984 and the volume in an amp was set to go up to 11.
My parents were awarded numbers at age 16 where 1 was top. I was awarded letters where A was top, my children are back to numbers, but now 9 is top.
Hopefully my grandchildren will not have any of this silliness.
Updated
The head of a teaching union has said the relative stability of results this year, in the face of “rushed and poorly planned” GCSE reforms, was a tribute to the hard work of teachers and pupils.
There is a common theme of dissatisfaction with the government’s GCSE reforms emerging. In earlier posts we have seen a survey showing that a majority of pupils were confused by the changes, and markers have found it more difficult to get through the new papers.
Geoff Barton, head of the Association of School and College Leaders said the reforms focused too much on those at the top of the scale, at the expense of middle and lower-achieving students.
Now Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union, has slammed the “uncertainty and anxiety” caused by the reforms. He said:
The fact that there has been a small overall fall in outcomes is to be expected and is the consequence of the changes to both the grading system in English and maths and changes to the accountability system.
The fact that such relatively stable results have been achieved against a backdrop of uncertainty and anxiety caused by the rushed reforms to the grading system and the ongoing resource pressures within schools is a great tribute to the hard work and dedication of the young people and their teachers.
This year’s enforced changes to the grading of maths and English created great uncertainty for pupils, teachers, parents and employers. Schools have been forced largely to navigate the way for themselves largely due to the rushed and poorly planned reform timescale imposed by the government.
Employers reacted with confusion to the mixture of new and old GCSEs, with different grading systems. Verity Davidge, head of education and skills policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation said:
Today, young people have received a mixed bag of results with new numerical grading structures for English and maths and all other subjects graded differently.
Such fundamental changes are going to leave employers confused and in a bid to benchmark candidates will undoubtedly rely on their own assessment and entry requirements more than ever before.
Updated
As the hunt continued for pupils who achieved straight 9s in the three new, tougher, GCSEs, it has emerged that 14 boys at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school in Barnet, north London, got the full hat-trick, with many of them achieving a full sweep of eight or nine A* in addition to the 9s.
Aashish Khimasia, who got three 9s and 9 A*s said: “I did not expect this, so am pleased. Grades don’t determine who I am, but this is a great stepping stone to what’s next.”
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Concerns in Wales over younger GCSE candidates
Kirsty Williams, the Welsh education secretary, has raised concerns about at the rising number of pupils being entered at age 15 and younger for GCSEs.
She said such candidates had not been given the chance to “reach their full potential” and that taking exams early also put a strain on school budgets. “[T]he current situation is unsustainable and all options are on the table,” she said, adding that she expected the results of a review into the issue on her desk by October.
While on a visit to Cefn Saeson school in Neath, Williams said:
I would like to congratulate the thousands of pupils across Wales who are receiving their results today.
These reformed qualifications are aimed at providing pupils with the right skills for the modern world. We can be proud of the way our pupils and teachers have handled the introduction of these new qualifications that are playing a vital role in raising standards.
I am concerned about the high number of pupils being entered early for their exams. Many of these pupils, who are taking exams before they have completed their two years of GCSE study, have not had the opportunity to reach their full potential. This is putting unnecessary pressure on pupils, teachers and also puts an extra strain on school budgets. I will respond to Qualifications Wales’s rapid review of this issue when I receive it in October, but the current situation is unsustainable and all options are on the table.
Our radical overhaul of our education system is about raising standards and the aspirations of our learners. As well as reforming GCSEs, we are introducing a new curriculum and new professional teaching and leadership standards to make sure our pupils have the skills they need to succeed in life.
Updated
At Denbigh high school in Luton there were scenes of jubilation this morning, the air punctuated with high-pitched screams as students got their results.
Debossmita Chaudury also got a 9 in maths and Eng Lit, and a bunch of A*s and As."The new system is very difficult so we had to work harder" pic.twitter.com/peMGLumGvf
— Alexandra Topping (@LexyTopping) August 24, 2017
At this outstanding school, where 90% of students have English as a second language pupils and teachers said the new grading system had made preparing for exams much tougher.
“It’s difficult enough as it is but the new system made it much harder,” said Debossmita Chaudury, who got 9s – the top mark – in maths and English literature. Despite getting an additional 8 A*s and and two As she was still bafflingly disappointed with a 6 (or a B in old money) in English language.
“I think I would probably have got an A in the old system,” she said. “It was difficult to prepare because we didn’t have past papers or know about the boundaries but I’m still really happy.”
Tawtiq Owodally, 16, was delighted with two 9s, a 7, 4 A*s and 4 As. “Hard work pays off,” he said. “This wouldn’t have happened if I’d sat around twiddling my thumbs. The change in syllabus was pretty tough but I don’t think it was as hard as people said it was going to be.”
Joy for Tawtiq Owodally and mum/maths teacher Shaheen who got two 9s, a 7, 4 A* and 4 A. "Hard work pays off," he says. pic.twitter.com/7Hj8sgR8go
— Alexandra Topping (@LexyTopping) August 24, 2017
Updated
The teacher training charity Teach First has reminded everyone not to overlook those pupils who are not in education, employment or training – known as Neets. Teach First takes top graduates for a two-year programme in which they earn a professional teaching qualification and work in schools low-income communities. Around half of their graduates continue working as teachers at the end of the course.
James Westhead, executive director of Teach First, said:
Today, students up and down the country will be receiving their GCSE results. They should be congratulated on all their efforts, which comes after years of hard work and support from their parents, teachers and schools.
However, additional figures released today have revealed that of those who received their GCSE results last year, 26,000 are currently not in education, employment or training. We know these teenagers are more likely to be from poorer families, as they will have been constantly faced with hurdles to social mobility that simply don’t exist for those from more advantaged backgrounds.
We must do more to challenge this, as in a post-Brexit world we must ensure our country’s workforce is met by home-grown talent. Ensuring every child has access to a brilliant education, in order to reach their full potential, is not only essential to create a fairer society, it’s also an economic imperative”.
Updated
GCSE reforms 'too focused on those at the top'
The reformed GCSEs’ focus of extending grades awarded to those at the top comes at the expense of middle and lower-achieving students, according to Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.
While interest has focused on the number of students achieving the new grade 9s, Barton said: “God knows what a child getting all grade 3s in the new qualifications is feeling who has sat exactly the same exam as the child who gets grade 9.”
Barton also said there was an emerging picture of volatility between schools in the new results. “All we know is that there are schools that have got established teams in English who have achieved consistently good results, who are seeing this year their results have fallen. That’s in the independent sector as well as the state.”
He also raised concerns about the narrowing curriculum offer and pressure on students facing tougher exams, tested only on end of course exams.
“We have once again seen a decline in entries to subjects which are not included in the English baccalaureate. These are very important subjects such as design and technology, drama and music. We agree that a rigorous academic curriculum is essential, but we also believe in curriculum breadth.
“The evidence is clear that the government’s reforms are narrowing the curriculum and we think this is to the detriment of our young people and to the country.”
Updated
Anonymous examiners have shared their views on this year’s papers. All names have been changed.
Anne said there needs to be better training to ensure standardisation between different markers, with the potential for harsh markers to downplay the achievements of an entire year’s candidates.
Even though all examiners are meant to examine in the same way, if you have ‘harsh’ markers throughout ... you are in a very unfortunate position. Obviously you are comforted with the statement you will have a range of markers but the potential is still there for candidates not to obtain the gains they truly deserve. Training is simply satisfactory however I feel measures have not been taken to ensure clarity and consistency. The standardisation material was all online based. There needed to be face-to-face tutorials so exam boards could explicitly outline what they are looking for and physical collaborative marking would have helped with this.
John, who was marking the new English literature paper, said that the extra length of the exam and more in depth syllabus it covered was not reflected in the pay on offer.
I marked GCSE English literature Paper 2. It was my 4th year of marking but first with new spec. In truth it was a real slog - the paper is 45 minutes longer than the previous series but this is not reflected in the pay. Even if I spent a full day marking I found it hard to get through more than 20 papers in a day, which is not enough to fill what is considered a usual quota of papers, which is between 200 and 300 papers I believe. I had a quota of 300 but only managed to complete just over 200.
This exam is now marked online which did make things a bit quicker and more efficient but nothing could compensate for the length of the paper.
Ken said that marking English papers was very subjective, and the potential margins for error could interrupt the flow or work until it was possible to speak to a line manager.
GCSE examining has been difficult at times: everyone talks about how you will pull out your hair and despair, and this is certainly true. As an English examiner, too, there is such a margin for error in how you judge a piece of work compared with how others would, which can lead to your being stopped on a certain question until you speak to your line manager. This can certainly disrupt your flow. However, despite how difficult it can be, I spent about two and a half weeks regularly sat at my computer with music in the background and set myself goals of how many of each question I would aim to do that day.
Updated
In his official statement Nick Gibb, the minister for school standards, has paid tribute to the pupils and teachers who have worked to achieve more than 50,000 nine grades in the reformed GCSEs.
He claimed that the new “gold-standard” GCSEs in English and maths compare well with other countries with high educational standards, and would fulfil the economy’s “voracious demand for knowledgeable and skilled young people”.
Here’s his statement in full:
Today, hundreds of thousands of 16-year-olds find out the results of two years or more of hard work and study. They will now move onto the next phase of their education well equipped for what lies ahead and I would like to thank their teachers whose dedication and hard work has helped them achieve success.
The government’s new gold-standard GCSEs in English and maths have been benchmarked against the best in the world, raising academic standards for pupils. These reforms represent another step in our drive to raise standards, so that pupils have the knowledge and skills they need to compete in a global workplace.
The fruits of these reforms will be seen in the years to come, but already pupils and teachers are rising to the challenge with more than 50,000 top 9 grades awarded across the new GCSEs and more than two thirds of entries sitting the tougher English and maths exams securing a grade 4 or C and above - a standard pass.
As we saw with last week’s new A-levels, we are beginning to see the our reforms translating into higher standards, improving opportunities and the life chances of millions of young people and helping to fulfil the voracious demand for knowledgeable and skilled young people from Britain’s dynamic and growing economy.
Overall there has been a slight increase of A*/A grades in those unreformed courses that are still using the traditional grade lettering system, statistics show.
There are a lot of nerves surfacing on Twitter from young people waiting to open their GCSE results emails.
nah I feel sick I can't do this, never felt this nervous in my entire life #GCSEResultsDay2017ِ
— Kiera Louise💋 (@kieramurrellxo) August 24, 2017
Never felt so nervous in my life and that's saying something 🙁 #GCSEResultsDay2017ِ
— Kayleigh Wild (@kayleighwild__) August 24, 2017
12 years of school all comes down too today😂 I hope I didn't waste my 12 years😴 #GCSEResultsDay2017ِ
— Tommy Willard (@Tommy_willard10) August 24, 2017
My parents after seeing my maths gcse result: #GCSEResultsDay2017ِ pic.twitter.com/66SBPNZG47
— Ssbronzer (@Ssbronzer_) August 24, 2017
Updated
Fall in good GCSE passes in England after reforms
The proportion of pupils achieving good GCSE passes in England has fallen this year, amid a blizzard of changes in exams and gradings, including a new nine-point scale in the key subjects of English and maths, write Richard Adams and Sally Weale.
There were weaker results in history, maths and geography than last year, but the picture was complicated by changing patterns of entries and some substantial increases in numbers taking the tests as schools adjusted to the new process.
Overall the proportion of students gaining at least a C, or a 4 under the new system, in England fell slightly, from 66.5% to 66.1%, but representatives of the examination boards said that in many subjects the results of older and younger pupils were affecting the national picture.
Just 3.5% of students received a top grade 9 in maths, 3.2% in English literature, and 2.2% in English language, under the new numerical grading system for introduced for those subjects.
Some 51,000 entrants achieved 9 grade in maths, English and English literature, which required a higher mark than the previous top grade of A*. The exam regulator Ofqual found that just over 2,000 individual pupils got the maximum possible 9s in all three exams. Last year around 6,000 pupils got A* in all three.
Nearly two-thirds of the 9 grades were awarded to girls, who did better at English and were close behind boys in gaining top grades in maths.
Updated
Sharp falls in numbers taking French and German
Entries for German are down 12%, for French by 10%, and for Spanish by 3%, according to the British Academy as it warns that the English Baccalaureate is failing to halt the decline in the numbers of young people studying languages at GCSE.
Professor Nigel Vincent, lead fellow for languages at the British Academy said: “Studying a language brings so much more than the ability to speak it. Languages can help us forge relationships, build trust and develop understanding across cultures and beyond borders.
“The British Academy has shown that language graduates are in high demand from employers, as much for their wider skillset as for their linguistic talents. In Our Born Global research, 70% of UK SMEs agreed that future executives will need foreign language skills.
“So it is worrying that the number of young people studying languages continues to decline, even after the introduction of the EBacc. We must do more to encourage language-learning at all stages of education. In the interconnected and multicultural world in which we live, foreign languages are not an optional extra.”
Tony Blair’s Labour government made languages optional at Key Stage 4, the education stage including GCSEs, in 2004, since when there has been a steady decline in the number of students taking GCSEs, A-levels and university degrees in languages.
With so much confusion remaining over what the whole GCSE reform is all about, the Guardian has produced a quick explainer of the changes.
There are conflicting claims over how well the changes have been understood by the public. Nick Gibb, the school’s minister, earlier claimed that 97% of headmasters, 80% of parents and 70% of employers understood what was going on, without giving a source for his figures. But according to the results of a poll circulated this morning by The Student Room website (see previous post), three quarters of pupils don’t understand.
What are the biggest changes to GCSEs?
The new courses have a greater emphasis on final exam marks, with little or no coursework counting towards final grades, and a new grading scheme running from 9 at the top to 1 as the lowest rank.
How does the new grading system work?
The new system sets a 4 as equivalent to a C under the previous rankings, while the top grades A* and A will be split into three grades, 7, 8 and 9 – with 9 awarded to those with marks at the top of the old A* grade.
Ofqual’s view
Ofqual’s chief regulator said the new courses allowed students to more fully display their abilities and knowledge, and would help them go on to further study. “In turn, the new 9 to 1 grade system signals to employers and others that this year’s students have studied new, more challenging content, and better differentiates between their achievements,” she said.
The NUT’s view
“Putting more emphasis on final exams is hitting hardest those who require the most support, such as disadvantaged students and students with special education need,” said Kevin Courtney, the union’s general secretary.
Half of students found mistakes in GCSE papers, survey says
More than half of GCSE students said they found mistakes in their exam papers, according to a survey that also found that three quarters of GCSE students say they are still struggling to understand the new 9-1 grading system.
The poll of 3,692 GCSE pupils by education website The Student Room, directly contradicts the claims of Nick Gibb, the schools minister, that the new GCSE grading system is well understood thanks to a government communications programme.
When asked to explain the new marking system, more than one in 10 students (13%) couldn’t identify the highest grade available in English and maths. Those two subjects are the first to be classified under the new GCSE grading system, where a grade 9 is the top mark.
One quarter of GCSE students (26%) couldn’t identify a correct pass grade in English and maths. Under the new system, a grade 4 is a ‘standard pass’.
Half of GCSE students said they did not have access to suitable practice papers before their exam, while a quarter (24%) felt their teachers didn’t adequately prepare them for their exams. More than half of students (56%) found mistakes by exam boards in their exam papers.
In a post on The Student Room website, one pupil said of the new system: “I’m not surprised by exam grading mistakes because the new system was rushed to be implemented. It’s scary but at the end of the day, if one year has to have slightly wrong/bad grades and every other year has better ones which show the new system in a good light then the government will accept that and not ask questions.”
Updated
Sally Collier, chief regulator at the exam watchdog Ofqual, has issued a statement explaining how the principle of “comparable outcomes” has been used to ensure that pupils will not be disadvantaged by the new system.
Echoing the claims made by Nick Gibb earlier [see 8.35am], Collier says the new curriculum will better prepare youngsters for their next academic challenges and that the new grades will more effectively differentiate between top performers.
She says:
The new qualifications have allowed students in this year’s cohort to better demonstrate their abilities and will have better prepared them for further study, if that is their choice. In turn, the new 9 to 1 grade system signals to employers and others that this year’s students have studied new, more challenging content, and better differentiates between their achievements.
Today’s results reflect years of careful planning. We have used the same tried and tested principle of comparable outcomes, as in previous years, to ensure that this first cohort of students is not disadvantaged. If a student receives a grade 7 today, they could have expected to have received a grade A last year. And if they get a grade 4, they could have expected to get a grade C in 2016.
The 2017 exam series ran smoothly, with all marking completed on time. There have, of course, been some unusual and tragic events this summer, and we have worked with the exam boards to minimise the potential impact on affected students. I hope all pupils collecting their results today believe they have got the results their performance deserves. But if they think there has been a marking error, they should speak to their school and consider asking for a review of marking. Our new rules provide a robust safety net when needed, which is available to all.
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Schools minister defends new system
Nick Gibb, the schools minister, has been on BBC Radio 4 this morning defending the decision to change the GCSE syllabus and grading system, which has been criticised by parents, teachers and employers.
He told the Today programme that the new grades were created to “show the distinction between the new GCSEs”, which are more rigorous, “and the old unreformed system”.
The new reformed GCSEs ... are more demanding, there is more content in the maths, children are required to read more widely in terms of the preparation for the GCSE in English literature, and they will be better educated as a consequence of these reforms.
As a result of the new grade scheme, which awards a 9 for the top entrants and a 1 for the worst grades, pupils will be able to pass with a mark of just 17%. Responding to questions as to whether this showed any value in a pass, Gibb said:
It’s more demanding but we don’t want any student to be disadvantaged as we introduce new reforms, so there is a process in place – it’s been in place for many years – to ensure that broadly the same proportion achieve the grades as they did under the old system. And it does take time for schools to respond to the new more demanding curriculum and that’s why we have this thing called comparative outcomes, so you don’t see a dramatic change in the proportions achieving the various grades.
Gibb insisted that the government had engaged in a “very extensive” outreach programme with heads, parents and employers to explain the new system, most of whom, he claimed, now understood the new grades as well as the traditional letter grades.
The new system essentially introduces a new top grade above the old A*, but it is only in effect in England. Gibb was invited to explain how employers could compare fairly between a Welsh or Scottish pupil’s A* and an English pupil’s nine. However, he could not:
If you have got an A* in GCSE in Wales you will have worked enormously hard to have achieved that grade and the same for a nine. Nine is meant to to recognise exceptional performance. The difference between our system is that we can distinguish between a nine and an eight.
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Let’s face it, we’re more likely to be attracting the eyes of concerned parents than teenagers at this time of the morning (and, indeed, at any time), so here are five top tips for parents this morning, from the Ucas exams helpline:
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Don’t panic – do reassure: We take calls from students who are panicking that they haven’t got the results they need and the first thing we tell them is to try to stay calm. This goes for parents too! Try to remain positive, whatever the results. Your child may need reassurance from you that everything will work out and it will all be OK.
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Don’t get ‘FOMO’ (Fear of Missing Out) and rush into anything: There is no need to make quick decisions. Give your child time to reassess and have a good think about what they want to do before they start making the next steps into their future education outcomes.
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Know the options: Your child is legally bound to stay in full-time education or training until they are 18. Their three main options are: 6th Form; College; and Apprenticeships. With thousands of courses on offer, there will be something to fit your youngster’s personal tastes.
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Think local: There will be variations in your local environment so take some time to speak with local colleges and see what apprenticeships are available in your area through www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch.
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Pick up the phone: If you want to find out more information, clarity, support or advice don’t forget that the Exam Results Helpline is here to help parents as well as the students themselves so give us a call on 0808 100 8000 or Twitter @ERHelp or facebook.com/examresultshelpline.
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Judging from these tweets there may be a few sleepy 16-year-olds collecting their results this morning.
The worst nights sleep cuz I'm so nervous 😩 #resultsday
— Emily (@_emilyholmes_x) August 24, 2017
Have a stressed child who hasn't been to sleep allnight! #resultsday
— Kellie houlton (@fulhamkel) August 24, 2017
bearly had any sleep last night and stomach is doing somersaults, SO nervous #resultsday
— Mai (@maimoncaster) August 24, 2017
@CapitalOfficial I'm not ready for today I can't believe I've just watched 20 spongebob episodes becuase I couldn't sleep 😂😭 #ResultsDay
— Joseph Beastall (@JosephBeastall) August 24, 2017
An exam results helpline, administered by Ucas, will be open from 7.30am this morning for students who need help with unexpected results or need anything clarifying about their next steps.
Ucas says the phones will be staffed by a specially-formed team of careers advisors who come together at the UCAS head office in Cheltenham once a year to help young people who receive unexpected exam results.
Callers can dial 0808 100 8000 for advice on GCSE results and what options are open to them. Nick Hynes, a careers adviser who has worked for the service for more than 25 years said:
“We are here for everyone who has questions but, in particular, for those people who want to find out all of the options available to them as well as sixth form.
“There are so many choices now and apprenticeships are growing in popularity as well as professional options and going to local colleges.
“Often it’s parents who want to help their children – this is an incredibly stressful time for some young people and it’s really important they don’t panic and call us as soon as they need to and we can work things out together.”
On average, a quarter of the calls placed to the helpline come from parents, Ucas said.
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Welcome to Thursday’s live blog as hundreds of thousands of teenagers are waiting to receive their GCSE results this morning.
However, headteachers have warned that “unprecedented changes” to English and maths exams means they cannot be compared with previous years. The changes are the biggest overhaul of the examination system in England since GCSEs were introduced to replace O-levels nearly 30 years ago.
The results will be the first of the revised GCSEs sat by pupils in England, the culmination of a shake-up launched by the former education secretary Michael Gove. The new courses have a greater emphasis on final exam marks, with little or no coursework counting towards final grades, and a new grading scheme running from 9 at the top to 1 as the lowest rank.
The sheer extent of the changes means that year-on-year comparisons are “unjust and unreliable” according to Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers.
“School leaders have worked hard to help students and their families to understand the change from A-G to 9-1 grades,” said Whiteman, who was concerned that schools may be unfairly penalised in the Department for Education’s performance tables. “But there’s still plenty of uncertainty about what the results really show.
“Until all of the reformed GCSEs are fully implemented and we’ve seen a few more years of the 9-1 system, those who seek to hold schools to account should refrain from comparing this year’s results to last.
“They are far from a like-for-like comparison and for any drop in results, support rather than sanction is the appropriate path to take.”
We will be covering all the day’s GCSE-related news as it breaks, so stay tuned for more details. And if you’re waiting to find how you’ve done, then good luck!
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