We’re wrapping up our GCSE liveblog for the day. Thank you for all your contributions and well done to everybody who got their results today - you survived!
'I'd go home, stress, cry, eat, cry': Manchester pupils on new GCSEs https://t.co/jg76vOuxOd
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) August 23, 2018
Home schooling success
Ellie Barnes, seven, and her brother, Thomas, 11, who are home schooled in Leigh received their results today. Ellie who achieved a six in maths said: “I didn’t know what I was going to get so I don’t really mind.” She’s thinking of retaking it next year and maybe studying for science too. She said she felt the exams were “harder than when my brother did it.” Ellie’s brother, Thomas, was the youngest person to get an A* GCSE in 2014 at the age of seven. Their father Simon, said: “He has since completed A-level maths (A*) and is currently studying A-level further maths which he will complete next year. Today he picked up his physics GCSE result in which he got a nine.”
Ellie’s exam paper is different from Thomas’ however. The new maths GCSE involves more problem-solving. Whereas in the previous iteration of the paper, candidates were given a formula to work out a problem from, in the new iteration candidates must derive the formula, then work from there.
The new A-levels and GCSEs could prove problematic and logistically unviable for home schooling families. For example, Thomas’ science A-level previously involved only written assessments; now it requires nine assessed experiments. For these experiments to be assessed, Thomas must travel to an exam centre. I asked Simon why Ellie and Thomas were educated at such a young age. He replied: “Well, she was clearly capable of doing it so I guess the answer is why not?”
Overachiever alert!
Freddie Mitchell, a pupil at Kingsdale Foundation School in Southwark, has set a school record that will be hard to beat with 10 grade 9s, four A*s and a grade 8 in his GCSEs.
Freddie said, “Honestly, I’m speechless. It’s a sensational feeling but I was not expecting these results. I tried my hardest and it has paid off! The academic and emotional support from my parents and the school has without doubt contributed to my achievements. Thank you all for your help!”
Wales and Northern Ireland
All the talk of exam reforms in England this year has somewhat overshadowed the fact that thousands of students also received GCSE results across Wales and Northern Ireland today.
In Wales, where reforms have also been taking place over the past two years, students achieving a C or 4 grade or better fell slightly in 2018.
In Northern Ireland, where most students taking exams remain on the more familiar A*-G grading system, students achieving a C grade or better improved this year compared to last.
The top achievers
The top grade that students can receive in the newly reformed GCSEs is a 9. A small number of students - 732 to be precise - achieved this grade in seven or more exams with more girls than boys managing this feat.
Updated
Young Women's Trust: Girls’ options narrow after GCSEs
Charity the Young Women’s Trust have warned that gender stereotypes and employer discrimination are still shutting girls out of some top-earning careers.
Communications and campaigns director Joe Levenson said:
Girls are achieving fantastic grades in GCSE physics and maths but are not continuing with these subjects to A Level or through apprenticeships. This is because gender stereotypes, employer discrimination and a lack of support shut girls out.
Encouraging more girls to take science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects to a higher level would help to plug the growing skills gap in industries like construction and engineering, boosting businesses and the economy.
They have called on the government to set national targets to get more women into apprenticeships in male-dominated sectors and employers to do more reach-out work and offer part-time and flexible apprenticeships.
Warning of 'factory-farmed kids' as curriculum narrows with EBacc
A group of associations representing subjects that are not included in the EBacc performance measure have warned that the curriculum is narrowing.
They write that the number of entries from students in England taking GCSEs in subjects that are not included in the EBacc – introduced in 2010 by Michael Gove - in one year has fallen by 11.1% from 2017 to 2018, while the number of entries in EBacc subjects has risen by 4.5%.
The EBacc requires that pupils take English language and literature, maths, a modern language, a science (including computer science), and history or geography at GCSE.
Schools are measured on the number of pupils that take GCSEs in EBacc subjects which are prioritised in schools comparisons - which is leading to non EBacc subjects being excluding or marginalised, they warn.
Rudolf Eliott Lockhart Chief Executive of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) said:
While the Government’s ambitions to produce pupils with an ability in a core set of subjects are laudable, the unintended consequence of the EBacc measure is that essential knowledge and skills are being lost and we risk producing factory-farmed kids, who are compelled to take a narrow range of subjects simply to satisfy Government targets.
Liz Moorse, Chief Executive, The Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT) said:
Recruiters such as Google are recognising that, while STEM subjects are important, wider knowledge and a broader skillset are equally important in a modern democracy and multicultural society.
It’s vital that we safeguard against a narrowing of the curriculum that will leave students educationally impoverished, employers limited in their choice of candidates, and our society culturally worse off.
Lesley Butterworth, General Secretary of the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD), said:
Participation and engagement in art, craft and design at this level of education gives a unique and meaningful experience, developing transferable skills and personal expression, building confidence and self-esteem and signposting to career paths in the creative, cultural, digital media and heritage industries.
Students protest school exclusions
Amazing action spotted on northern line just in time for #gcseresultsday #educationnotexclusion pic.twitter.com/xNFcMW6JVS
— Katie Dove-Dixon (@KDoveDixon) August 23, 2018
A “group of South London students” have used GCSE results day to draw attention to the number of school exclusions. “Every day, 35 students (a full classroom) are permanently excluded from school. Only 1% of them will go on to get the five good GCSEs they need to succeed. We deserve better.”
14-year-old gets full set of grade 9s and A*s
A 14- year-old Vietnamese school girl who had written four novels by the time she was 13 has achieved a full set of grade 9s and A*s in her GCSEs, according to private school Francis Holland, in Sloane Square.
Amanda, whose surname is not given, arrived at the £21,000 a year school last September on a bursary.
At 13 she had written four novels, was studying undergraduate physics and, one year into piano, was taking Grade 5.
She skipped two years to go into year 11 with a specially devised curriculum which condensed all her GCSE courses into a nine month period.
On Thursday she got a “full sweep” of top grades (9s and A*s), and will begin her sixth form studies at Francis Holland, Sloane Square on a full scholarship.
Amanda says:
I was surprised but pleased with my results. Now I’m looking forward to studying maths, further maths, biology and chemistry at A level and going to university to study biochemistry. There are so many medical issues I would like to research. I am also constructing a new language.
Student voices
Josh Haliday has been speaking to students at William Hulme’s Grammar school in Manchester:
At William Hulme’s Grammar school, where two-thirds of this year’s GCSE cohort were boys, there were laddy slaps on the back and fist bumps as they opened their results. Mohammed Al-Kalbani didn’t speak a word of English when he moved to Britain last May with his family, who are originally from Palestine.
“I’m so proud,” he said as he digested results that showed he had passed both English exams, scored a double 9 in science, an 8 in maths and 7 in geography. “Everyone has helped me. At first it was really hard. I came here as the new kid, I didn’t have anyone to play with or talk to but I spent time with the mentor and she was really supportive with everything. I just kept working harder and harder.”
William Hulme’s Grammar student Mohammed Al-Kalbani, who came to Britain from Palestine in May 2017 not speaking a word of English. He passed English and got a double 9 in Science, 8 in maths, 7 in geography. Legend. pic.twitter.com/eM9madQvpz
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) August 23, 2018
Kisaa Bukhari, 16, said she was really happy with her 7 in maths, 8 in religious studies, and 7s in biology, chemistry and physics. “Honestly I was really scared because I thought if they are saying the new GCSEs are harder then I expected results lower than what I’ve got,” she said.
Bukhari now plans to study chemistry, biology and statistics at A-Level and eventually go into medicine. “We get told science subjects are for everybody. Science has always been my favourite - in my class I’ve always contributed a lot compared to boys. It’s never been a big thing for us, people saying boys like sciences and girls can’t do sciences.”
Kisaa Bukhari, an aspiring chemist who was chuffed with her 7s in the sciences: “It’s never been a big thing for us, people saying boys like sciences and girls can’t do sciences. Science has always been my favourite.” pic.twitter.com/CyjuLAXxjV
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) August 23, 2018
STEM subjects
Last year saw the introduction of a new grading system for three subjects - English, English literature and maths. This year 20 more subjects were added to the reformed grading system.
It seems to have made a difference, particularly among those students taking STEM subjects. Boys in England narrowed the gender gap in biology, chemistry and computing and actually outperformed girls in maths and physics.
However, girls outdid boys in the new combined science GCSE (awarded as a double-grade) with 57.5% of girls achieving a grade of 4 or above (equivalent to grades A*-C) compared to 52.1% of boys.
Updated
Stories from students
Students from across the country have been getting in touch with their stories.
Olivia Zemmel, 16, from Yavneh Girls, The King David High School in Manchester who achieved seven nines and a seven said: “The exams were a lot harder than I thought they would be and it was especially difficult as we did not have any past papers. To celebrate I plan to go out with my parents and brothers tonight for a celebratory meal. I would like to thank the teachers from my school for all their help.”
At Harrow High School in west London, Suela Merkaj got eight grade nines and an A* in further maths. She said: “I’m so pleased, honestly can’t believe it. I thought I’d done well but who ever thinks they’d do this well!”
Agnieszka who is a mature student at Reading College achieved a nine in maths and a seven in English. With her grades she is planning to go to the University of Reading. She said: “I was happy there was no coursework as part of the qualification. I got 225 out of 240 points in maths and I couldn’t be happier. Doing an access course(which is basically three A-levels in one year together with GCSEs) made it so much easier for me. I think the change will make the access course more attractive to others mature students.”
Brothers Daniel and Victor Cadenas Soto achieved seven grade nines and four grade eights plus an A** in further maths between them. Their mum is very proud was was too overwhelmed to comment!
Updated
School standards minister Nick Gibb has congratulated pupils upon receiving their results and expressed his hope that this is the “first step to a bright and successful future”.
Congratulations to all the pupils getting their results today. All of their hard work – and that of their teachers – has paid off and I hope that this is the first step to a bright and successful future.
Whatever they choose to do next – whether it is staying at school, going to college, or starting an apprenticeship – these qualifications will give them a solid base of knowledge and skills that they can build on.
Thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, education standards are rising in our schools and pupils have shown their abilities by achieving excellent results today, with so many pupils meeting and exceeding the standards we expect.
British Telecom (BT) have issued a useful set of advice to help parents during this potentially stressful time, as they may have to take on the role of consoling their children. This is what they have suggested parents could say to their kids:
- First and foremost be proud of your achievements. If you don’t get the results you wanted remember there are lots of options to explore.
- Take a deep breath. Feeling anxious is natural, take time to consider your options and don’t rush into making a decision.
- Think about what you have enjoyed at school so far. Do you enjoy being in a classroom, or prefer to be active? This can help you determine if you might be better suited to office work or being on the move, in sales or engineering for example.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and keep an open mind. Visit the websites of the brands that appeal to you and see if they offer apprenticeship scheme or paid work experience.
- Once you’ve found out what’s available, don’t be afraid to get in touch directly - either on the phone or through a cover letter explaining what you think you can offer them - they’ll be more than happy to help.
“In addition to offering emotional support, the next step is to set a plan of action, but this doesn’t need to happen immediately as acting rashly can create chaos in an already unknown future,” BT said in a statement.
They went on to advertise their apprenticeship schemes which they said offers a viable alternative to further or higher education.
The general secretary of the organisation that represents secondary school head teachers has congratulated students and teachers on “weathering the storm of an unprecedented year of upheaval” as the share of pupils gaining the better marks rose.
Geoff Barton, from the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
Congratulations to students and teachers on today’s GCSE results. They have weathered the storm of an unprecedented year of upheaval with 20 new GCSEs being sat for the first time and they deserve full credit for the results achieved today.
The reformed GCSEs are harder than their predecessors. They contain more content and more papers and the bar has been set deliberately higher to achieve the new top grade 9. We are concerned about the additional pressure this has placed on students and teachers and the impact on their wellbeing, and we are not clear why the government felt it necessary to ratchet up the pressure to such an extent and what this was intended to achieve.
There will be a great deal of interest in students who have achieved grade 9s today. These young people have done exceptionally well, but it is important that we do not lose sight of the achievements of many other young people who have also recorded very good grades and should feel proud of their achievements.
'¡Me gusta!': number of students taking Spanish up 4%
Pupils in England sat reformed GCSE exams in French, German and Spanish for the first time this summer with the numerically-graded exams for other modern foreign languages including Chinese, Italian and Russian to follow from next year.
The 2018 GCSE entry figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show an overall 0.4% rise in the number of students taking language exams throughout the past year.
The number of French exams has fallen by 2.9% compared with 2017. However, the number of pupils taking Spanish has risen year-on-year, with an increase of 4.4% since 2017 while German is up 2.0%.
“The slight rise in pupils studying languages at GCSE is encouraging, particularly at a time when the UK is looking to establish a new position on the global stage,” said Mark Herbert, director of schools and skills at the British Council.
Now more than ever our young people need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the internationally competitive economy.
A survey of schools we conducted earlier this year suggested that more rigorous GCSEs may already be improving students’ linguistic competency, but also that lower ability pupils now appear less likely to take a language in the first place – so it’s vital we make language learning accessible for everyone, no matter their background.
After a sustained period of decline German has had its first increase in years at GCSE, while Spanish continues to grow in popularity – to the extent it is likely to overtake French at GCSE in the next decade.
To inspire a new generation of language learners we need to demonstrate the real-world value of being able to speak another language, not just on holiday, but in the workplace and beyond.
Last year, student entries for all modern foreign languages were down by 7.3 per cent. The worst affected was German, which saw a 13.2 per cent decline in entrants, while French fell by 9.9 per cent, so these rises must be viewed with that in mind.
Updated
GCSE’s are part of a linear process that needs to change, says Noel Tagoe, executive vice president at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
He calls on parents, pupils and employers to look at non-traditional approaches to pursuing long-term fulfilling careers.
Regardless of whether the grading system is tougher, we must move away from thinking of education as a linear process. Education needs to take a more cyclical approach in order to encourage long-term, fulfilling careers. This means that parents, pupils and employers should look at non-traditional approaches because in-work education, such as an apprenticeship, might just be a better option down the line. Apprentices often start work with little to no debt, a career path to follow and no need for internships.
However, a sustained fall in apprenticeships has meant that many children simply do not have the option of following this route.
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Popular subjects
The new subject of double science is the most popular this year with more than 800,000 candidates sitting the combined exam across the UK. As the subject is a double entry students are counted twice in the overall figures. This was followed by maths and english, with more than 700,000 entries for each subject.
There has also been an increase in the number of entries for single science subjects. Biology led the way with a 23% increase in entries.
Updated
Gender gap in STEM subjects
Figures out today show that girls are less likely to take the STEM subjects computing and ICT.
Computing
2018 Female – 0.5%, 2018 Male – 2.2%
2017 Female – 0.5%, 2017 Male – 2.0%
ICT (information communication technology)
2018 Female – 0.7%, 2018 Male – 1.3%
2017 Female – 1.0%, 2017 Male – 1.7%
Tara O’Sullivan, CMO at Skillsoft, says there are a lot of programmes going on designed to challenge outdated views that boys are more suited to these subjects:
The bottom line is that women are just as capable as men. People often ask, “Why should more women get into STEM?” It’s like asking why women should be doctors. These on-going drives to get women into science and technology will continue to happen until the question no longer needs to be asked.
Despite progression in gender equality, women are still grossly underrepresented in STEM. These low levels of participation can be traced back all the way to the school years, where a number of influences from society and culture, education and the labour market are all at play.
Overall, an attitude overhaul – for both women and men – is needed if we are to close the STEM gender gap. Through better education and encouragement of both genders, we can chip away at antiquated attitudes and create a more equal workplace.
Exam results graphs
Updated
Our Data Projects Editor Caelainn Barr is providing us with some delightful insight into the delightful morning that education correspondents have had today:
The exam results are released under embargo to journalists at a “lock in” in Westminster at around 7.45am. In that time a room of about 20 sleep deprived reporters are given almost two hours to trawl through spreadsheets and figure out how students have fared in their exams this year. Unlike a typical “lock in” alcoholic libations are no where to be seen and craic is in short supply. This one is fuelled by a lone (now empty) coffee pump.
GCSEs: Boys close gap on girls after exams overhaul
My colleagues Richards Adams and Caelainn Barr report that boys are the main beneficiary of the new system.
Boys appear to have been the major beneficiary of the overhaul of GCSE examinations taken in England for the first time this summer, as results showed across-the-board improvements in boys gaining top marks while girls saw their share of top grades dip.
Across the UK the proportion of students gaining an A or 7 and above, the new top grade used in England, rose above 20%, with boys in England closing the gap on girls with an almost one percentage point rise to 17.1% with girls unchanged at 23.4%.
In the reformed GCSEs in England, 4.3% of the results were the new highest 9 grade, set at a higher mark than the previous A* grade. The figures showed 732 students attained seven or more grade 9s.
Despite the improvements by boys in England they were still outperformed by girls at the highest level: 5% of entries by girls received 9s, compared with just 3.6% of boys.
Updated
Student reaction
Josh Haliday is talking to students at Whalley Range about their experience of the exams.
Maryem Eblish, who scored a 9, an A*, an A, a double 8: “It was so stressful, exam after exam. I’d go home, stress about it, cry, eat food, cry more.” pic.twitter.com/jaHbg843Ok
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) August 23, 2018
He writes:
Maryem English, 16, could scarcely believe her results when she opened her envelope shortly at 8.30 this morning. “Science I got an 8, which it thought I’d literally flopped. French I got a 7, which is so surprising because I gave up half way through - it was like gibberish,” she said.
“I’m so happy. I’m so shocked. Last night I slept four hours, I was so nervous. I’m relieved basically. It was so stressful, exam after exam. I’d go home, stress about it, cry, eat food, cry more. I’m just so glad it’s all over. The new grading system was stupid.”
Grandmother Diana Powell (Guardian reader, straight-talker) is anxiously waiting for her granddaughter’s GCSE results in Barnsley.
She writes:
We are awaiting my grand daughter’s results and expecting success, but she worked exceptionally hard. Her school put on revision lessons for weeks, early in the morning, at lunchtime and after school and by the end of the exam process she was on her knees. Some subjects had multiple papers and she was ‘at it’ for about four weeks.
I think the fact that there were no past papers for reference was very worrying, combined with the blather from Government that they had to make the exams more rigorous! What a cack-handed way of going about things.
And results are coming in!
Plenty of relieved students at Whalley Range girls school in Manchester. Headteacher Elizabeth Hole says: “There’s no doubt there’s a lot more stress with all the exams at the end. There’s nothing in the bag, no coursework. They had to do it all at the end.” pic.twitter.com/CrGZAIWoHc
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) August 23, 2018
My colleague Josh Halliday is at Whalley Range girls school in south Manchester, where there is a lot of shrieking going on, apparently:
At Whalley Range girls school in south Manchester, there were shrieks of glee and shock as the first teenagers opened their results this morning - many genuinely fearing that they’d missed out on the top marks under the new grading system. “I feel so happy and shocked,” beamed Ammal Al-nousairy, who achieved two nines (A*s) and six eights (As). “With the new grading system I thought I wouldn’t do as well.”
Such was the pressure on this year’s 16 year olds that the school ran mindfulness classes during PE, where students practiced yoga and were told the importance of switching off.
The school’s headmaster Elizabeth Hole said: “There’s no doubt there’s a lot more stress with all the exams at the end because there’s nothing in the bag for the students - there’s no coursework. They had to do it all at the end.”
Despite sleepless nights and a “fear of the unknown” for students and staff, Hole said she was pleased with the inner-city school’s results: 65% scores grades 9-4 in English and maths, up from 63% last year.
CBI: Businesses know education is more than just qualifications
John Cope, CBI Head of Education & Skills policy, has some reassuring words for those students who might not get exactly the results they are after. He says employers look at more than grades:
Regardless of whether people get the results they hoped for or not, it’s important to remember that grades are just one of the factors employers look for. GCSEs are there to enable young people to take the next step in their learning and broaden their understanding of the possibilities out there.
Exam stress and supporting student mental health has rightly become an issue at the front of people’s minds. Ambition to achieve top marks is important, but undue pressure can have unintended consequences for students.
Businesses truly believe that education is more than qualifications alone. They also highly prize a good attitude and aptitude towards work. Students who strive to reach their own academic potential, who show creative flair, or demonstrate leadership will have a bright future ahead of them.
Cope encouraged students to get good career advice, adding that while A-levels were a great next step students could also consider choosing an apprenticeship, going to college or getting a job.
But the elephant in the room is the apprenticeship levy. The alarming drop in apprenticeship starts has meant fewer opportunities for young people and firms unable to invest in new talent. The Government must urgently reform the system and give the Institute for Apprenticeships teeth as an independent regulator.
NCS research: 73% of students felt additional stress
Ahead of GCSE results day on Thursday, our NCS Grads are giving you their top tips on how to get through results day 💪 But remember, just stay calm 🙌 Check it out here 👉https://t.co/FxdsVialux pic.twitter.com/aRzv0oqa5W
— NCS (@NCS) August 21, 2018
Research from the National Citizen Service (NCS) has suggested that students aren’t confident that the new grading system won’t represent their grades, and that the majority feel they have suffered more stress as a result of the new system.
The survey found:
- 65% of young people felt the new grading system wouldn’t represent their ability
- 73% said new 1-9 grading system causes additional stress
- 64% of teenagers believe exam results to be the greatest factor for success, even more than work experience (51%) or a university education (41%)
- 4% of students expect to get a top grade of 9, with almost double the number of boys (5%) compared to girls (2.7%)
Dame Sally Coates, Director of Academies at United Learn and NCS patron, said:
I’m well aware of the stresses of GCSE exams. It’ll be one of the most stressful experiences for 16 year olds and the confusion around the new grading system is likely to add to concerns, especially as they’re not yet widely recognised by employers.
NASUWT: Reforms have been rushed and poorly thought through
Well done to pupils receiving their #GCSEs today & also to all the teachers who work so hard to support their students to achieve their best #gcseresultsday2018
— NASUWT (@NASUWT) August 23, 2018
The teachers’ union NASUWT has said the Government’s rush to push through reforms must not be repeated in future years.
Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary said:
The implementation of these further reforms to GCSEs has been rushed and poorly-thought through.
This year’s GCSEs are very different from those they replaced. It is important that any comparisons with previous years take this fact into full account and are not characterised by lazy and unhelpful claims that demean students’ achievements.
The fact that the reforms continue to be delivered by teachers, who already face unacceptable workload pressures, is a mark of their commitment and professionalism. Teachers and school leaders have continued to ensure that pupils get high-quality learning experiences and give them the best possible chance of exam success.
However, the central lesson that future governments must learn from the experience of these reforms is that substantial changes like those we have seen should never be handled in such an incoherent way.
Schools minister Nick Gibb: Change addresses demand from employers
My colleague Mattha Busby writes:
The schools minister Nick Gibb is touring the broadcast studios this morning and was questioned about the impact of the wide-ranging changes to GCSEs, which have made subjects significantly more difficult and have reduced coursework placing more importance on exams, on students and teachers mental health.
Responding to claims from school leaders about how demanding this year has been, with stress levels going “through the roof” among both students and teachers, he said:
These are more demanding GCSEs, they have more content than before. We were addressing a concern from employers that school leavers were not properly prepared educationally and we also wanted to close the gap between GCSE attainment and the A Level content.
“Of course exams are always stressful,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme. “Schools are very well equipped to help pupils prepare for those exams.”
“Education systems .. stand still unless we reform our education system, raising standards, [otherwise] our youngsters will be let down.
“The exam boards do help schools sample papers,” he continued, responding to suggestions that schoolchildren may have found it more difficult to prepare for this year’s exams in the absence of past papers to revise from.
Of course when it is a new exam system there aren’t past papers to deal with, and what the regulator does, it has a system called ‘comparable outcomes’ to makes sure [during] the first years of an exam the students aren’t disadvantaged, and that’s why we have the same proportions, roughly, of grades.
The interviewer said Gibb appeared to be downplaying the effect the changes has had on students and teachers, referencing Geoff Barton, the secretary for the Association of Schools and College Leaders who said yesterday: “The government’s desire to raise the bar and make GCSEs more challenging has come at a considerable cost to mental health and wellbeing.”
The schools secretary responded: “Well, the best schools do create a safe and supportive environment for their pupils, we take mental health extremely seriously, particularly the use of social media, and we’ve got a green paper setting out hundreds of millions of pounds of extra money helping children deal with the pressures of modern society.
“Whenever you are raising standards there will be these pressure on the school system, but the school system is coping extremely well.”
Updated
Welcome to the Guardian's GCSE liveblog
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s GCSE liveblog.
GCSE results day is always an exciting and nerve-wracking time for all students getting their results, not to mention their parents and families.
But this year is particularly tense in England, as it will be the first time a new grading system has been used across most subjects.
The new grading system, which was introduced for maths and English last year, is now in place in another 20 subjects including core academic courses such as the sciences, history, geography and modern foreign languages.
We want to hear your stories throughout the day. Students, parents, carers, teachers - we want to hear from you all, if you are happy with the results that have come out today, and what you think of the latest education overhaul.
You can email me on alexandra.topping@theguardian.com, tweet me on @lexytopping or leave a comment below the line.
Updated
What is the new system?
What has changed?
In England, traditional A* to G grades have been replaced with a 9 to 1 system, with 9 the highest mark.
The move is part of a wider reform of exams involving a complete overhaul of the content and structure of GCSEs.
Schools and colleges have been teaching these new GCSEs for the last two to three years, and it is only now that grades are starting to be awarded.
The new courses feature much less coursework than the old GCSE qualifications, and modular courses, in which pupils sat papers throughout their studies, have been scrapped in favour of “linear” GCSEs in which pupils take all of their exams at the end of the two-year course.
The new grading system is meant to clearly distinguish new courses from the old qualifications.
What does this mean for students?
This year, in the subjects that are being awarded new grades for the first time, it is expected that broadly the same proportion of students that would have got a C or above under the old system will get at least a 4.
A grade 7-9 is approximately equivalent to A-A* under the old system, while a grade 4 and above is roughly equivalent to a C and above.
It is expected that fewer students will receive a grade 9 than would have received an A* under the old grading system – part of the reason for introducing a new grading system was to allow more differentiation among the brightest students.
According to one estimate by Cambridge Assessment, as few as 200 candidates could get a clean sweep of grade 9s across all of their GCSEs this year.
It also means that this year, teenagers will get a mix of lettered and numbered grades, depending on the GCSEs they take.
