GCSE results at the top grades have fallen in Wales as exam bosses try to rein back on “grade inflation” with the first set of sat papers for three years. Grades were assessed by teachers in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.
Just over one in four candidates (25.1%) achieved the top A*-A grades this year and nearly one in seven (68.6%) achieved A* to C. The top A*-A grades achieved were down from a high of 28.7% in 2021 but significantly up on 2019 when exams were last sat. Girls did better than boys at all levels, outperforming boys at A* and A by 7.1 percentage points. More than one in 10 (11.4%) achieved the best A* grade, two percentage points down on last year.
It was a similar picture in England where 27% of pupils got a Grade 7 or higher (the equivalent of A or higher in Wales), and 73.2% of pupils got a Grade 4 or higher (the equivalent of a C or higher in Wales). These figures were lower than in 2021 but higher than before the pandemic.
Read more: You can follow our live GCSEs analysis, updates and reaction as teenagers around Wales formally receive their results here.
England's GCSEs are graded differently. Pupils are given numbers from 1-9, which are equivalent to G to A*. Exam bosses say the grades from C upwards are equivalent to the grades from 4 upwards in England. And the grades from 7 upwards in England are equivalent to an A or higher in Wales. Critics argue that a grade 9 in England is a higher grade than an A* in Wales as it is given to a smaller percentage of pupils taking the exam, however most in education say that grades 7-9 should be seen in the same way as A and A* in Wales.
Overall GCSE results for Wales, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications, are still higher than the last sat exams in 2019, but lower than 2021. The pass rate at A* to G is virtually the same at 97.3%, compared with 98/5% under teacher assessment in 2021 and 97.2% the last time exams were sat in 2019.
Some schools have complained this year's results will not be fair again because of the very different levels of Covid disruption and pupil and staff absence. The National Education Union called for changes to the qualification system as teenagers picked up their results.
"All of the issues coming to the surface today are caused by a broken system," said Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union.
"Testing all 16-year-olds, almost exclusively via exam, is a relic of a time when education or training were not, like now, compulsory until the age of 18.. Assessment must provide a more rounded picture of every student – in order to do justice to everything of which they are capable, but also to better set them up for life and work in the 21st century.
Qualification bosses insist results should not be compared with previous years because of the very different circumstances and assessment arrangements this year and through the pandemic. Content was adjusted to take account of Covid disruption and lost learning this year. But announcing the results exam board the JCQ did give previous years' figures.
Posting the results the JCQ said: "Working closely with Welsh Government and Qualifications Wales, awarding bodies have introduced a package of measures to support the transition back to exams. This has included adaptations and advance information in relation to assessments to mitigate the disruption to teaching and learning caused by the pandemic.
"Measures were developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including school and college staff. In addition, Qualifications Wales confirmed that results will broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019.
"Comparisons to any previous years’ results should be approached with caution due to the differing methods of assessments and circumstances."
But publishing today's results for the first sat GCSEs in three years the JCQ did give previous year’s figures.
How results compare
2022
A* 11.4%
A 25.8%
A*-A 25.6%
A*-C 68.6%
A*-E 97.3%
2021
A*-A 28.7%
A*-C 73.6%
A*-E 98.5%
2019 (the last year exams were sat)
A*-A 18.4%
A*-C 62.8%
A*-G 97.2%
The total number of GCSE examination entries in Wales this year was 311,072, 5.4% down on 2021. Girls did better than boys at all levels. Outcomes for females are higher than males at A*- A, A*– C, and A*– G grades by 8.1 percentage points, 7.1 percentage points, and 0.6 percentage points, respectively.
Independent regulator Qualifications Wales announced last year that grade boundaries for exams and the Skills Challenge Certificate would be set to halfway between pre-pandemic 2019 and 2021's r ecord results this summer.
As GCSE year 11 students went into schools to pick up their exam and vocational qualification results for the first time in three years, teaching unions said some schools had been more disrupted by Covid than others and called for the qualification system to be overhauled. This year's exams were adapted to take into account lost learning, but some teachers have said that was not enough to address differing experiences with Covid absences - one in 10 students were off school on average in the 2021-22 school year in Wales.
"All of the issues coming to the surface today are caused by a broken system," said Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union.
"Testing all 16-year-olds, almost exclusively via exam, is a relic of a time when education or training were not, like now, compulsory until the age of 18. England’s assessment system is backward-looking and not fit for purpose. Assessment must provide a more rounded picture of every student – in order to do justice to everything of which they are capable, but also to better set them up for life and work in the 21st century.
Maths results
In Wales, students to take either GCSE Mathematics or GCSE Mathematics - Numeracy, with the majority taking the opportunity to study both subjects.
This year’s figures show that 18.0% of candidates achieved A*– A grades for GCSE Mathematics, whilst 56.8% of candidates have been awarded a grade C or above.
18.7% of candidates achieved A* – A grades for GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy, whilst 59.6% of candidates have been awarded a grade C or above.
English results
English and English Literature
19.5% of all grades awarded to GCSE English Language candidates were A* – A this year, whilst 65.7% of candidates achieved a grade C or above.
For GCSE English Literature, 21.9% of candidates achieved grades A* – A, and 71.0% of candidates have been awarded a grade C or above.
Welsh First Language and Welsh Second Language
22.1% of candidates achieved A* – A grades in GCSE Welsh First Language, whilst 76.3% of candidates have been awarded a grade C or above.
22.9% of GCSE Welsh Second Language candidates have achieved A* – A grades, and 64.4% of candidates have been awarded a grade C or above. Entries for GCSE Welsh First Language and for GCSE Welsh Second Language have decreased by 0.5 and 1.9 percent respectively from 2021.
Separate sciences and double award
The proportion of candidates achieving A* – A in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics is 52.3%, 53.8% and 53.8%, respectively.
92.3% (Biology), 93.5% (Chemistry), and 93.8% (Physics) have achieved a grade C/4 or above.
Not including the small number of English numbered grade GCSEs awarded in Wales this is how many A*s have been awarded in the last few years.
A* 2022 - 11.4%
A* 2021 13.5%
A* 2020 10.8%
A* 2019 6.1%
Education Minister Jeremy Miles welcomed a return to exams this year: “Congratulations to everyone receiving their results today. You should all be proud of your hard work through the disruption of the last two years. I welcome these results as we transition back to exams this year – it’s great to see what our learners have achieved.
“Don’t be too disappointed and don’t be too hard on yourself if things didn’t quite go to plan today. There are a range of options available to you, whether you’re unsure what to do next, or perhaps you didn’t sit your exams. Get in touch with Careers Wales or your school for support.
“Everyone under 25 has the opportunity to enrol in education or training, find work or become self-employed through our Young Persons' Guarantee."
A spokesperson for Qualifications Wales said: "Qualifications Wales worked with others in the education system to identify the fairest way to assess learners this year. A package of support was put in place to take account of the disruption caused by the pandemic as we return towards pre-pandemic assessment methods. GCSEs were adapted this year to give learners extra support and address the loss of teaching and learning time.
"Exams were also graded more generously to recognise that learners have had the most extraordinary two years leading up to their exams. Across Wales, results are broadly midway between the results in 2019 when exams were last held, and the results in 2021, when teachers determined learners’ grades. This approach to grading was announced at the start of this academic year and is the same as the approach taken in England."
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