GCSE results day – live: Record number of straight 9s as Labour says poorer children ‘abandoned’ by government

The proportion of pupils awarded top GCSE grades has soared to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Overall, 28.9 per cent of GCSE entries were awarded one of the top three grades this year, up 2.7 percentage points on last year. It also represents a significant rise on 2019, the last year that exams were held, where only one fifth of entries achieved the top three grades.

Adam Forrest reports.

Girls have increased their lead over boys in top GCSE results this year.

The gap in achieving one of the top three grades – a 7/A or higher – has risen from eight percentage points in 2020 to nine percentage points in 2021.

The proportion of female entries receiving a 7/A or higher this year was 33.4 per cent, compared with 24.4 percent of male GCSE entries.

Despite the growing gap, this year’s figures are the highest on record for both girls and boys.

According to figures from Ofqual, the number of 16-year-old students in England who entered seven or more GCSEs and received a 9 – the highest grade under the numerical grading system – has risen across all subjects.

Figures show that some 3,606 students in England received straight 9s this summer, compared with 2,645 in 2020 and 837 in 2019.

Overall, figures show that 7.4 per cent of GCSE entries in England were awarded a grade of 9, compared with 6.3 per cent last year.

A record number of pupils across the UK achieved a grade of 4/C on their GCSE, the latest figures show.

Some 77.1 per cent of UK GCSE entries scored a C/4 or above this year. This marks a 0.8 percentage point increase from 2020 when 76.3 per cent of GCSE entries achieved the same grades or higher.

In 2019, the last time that exams were sat, just over two in three GCSE entries (67.3 per cent) achieved a grade of at least 4/C.

Education minister Gavin Williamson tweeted his well wishes to pupils receiving GCSE and vocational results this morning, as well as his thanks to teachers for their “exceptional hard work” over the past year.

He said: “Congratulations to everyone getting their GCSE + Vocational results today – you should feel immensely proud of your achievements.

I also want to thank teachers for their exceptional hard work over the past year and wish all students the very best as they make their next choices.”

An analysis by Ofqual has found that 61.2 per cent of GCSE entries from private schools in England were awarded a grade 7 or above this year, compared with 57.2 per cent in 2020 and just 46.6 per cent in 2019.

Independent schools witnessed the largest absolute increase in the highest grades, compared with other types of schools and colleges, up four percentage points on last year.

These figures add to concerns about a growing attainment gap between private and state schools, already witnessed this week when A-level results showed that the divide in achieving top grades had become even wider.

In years gone by, students in England received A-E grades based on their marks, but this system was replaced by a numerical system in 2014, where students are now given grades on a scale of 1-9.

According to Ofqual, the exams regulator, a grade of 7 is equivalent to an A. Grade 8 is considered a strong A and grade 9 is considered an A*.

A grade of 4 is a “standard pass” and equivalent to a C, while a 5 is deemed a “strong pass”. A grade of 6 is equivalent to a B.

The majority of students in Northern Ireland and Wales are still graded using an alphabetical system.

Matt Mathers reports.

Joy Israel Mbengo, a 16-year-old student at City Academy in Birmingham, leapt in the air after opening his results, receiving a grade 6 in physical education and strong passes in English language and literature.

He said: “I am over the moon. You don’t understand how. I can’t describe it in words, I’m very shocked because I had low expectations for myself.

“Coming into this, I was very nervous, but once I opened my results I got so happy.”

Joy said that the pandemic had presented a challenging learning environment, but that the return to in-person classes helped him achieve the grades he needed.

His’s results are high enough to get him a spot at Solihull Sixth Form College, which he hopes will “open doors” to go to the US or elsewhere overseas on a basketball scholarship.

PA

Olympic medal winning twins Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova were pictured collecting their GCSE results and celebrating at Aylesbury Vale Academy in Buckinghamshire on Thursday morning.

The twin gymnasts who competed in this year’s Tokyo Olympics and won bronze medals in the women’s artistic team all-around competition were seen jumping for joy holding their results and their medals.

Jessica told PA: “We are very happy and pleased, we both got the pass and are very thrilled”.

She added: “It was very difficult and it would not have been possible without the support from our teachers and coaches”.

“If there were days that we had to miss school because of training, they would give us the resources and help to catch up.”

The twins plan to remain at Aylesbury Vale Academy to take the Sport and Management course at sixth form.

Across the UK, GCSE entries reached record highs with 28.9 per cent of entries receiving top grades of 7 or above. Northern Ireland received the highest proportion with 39.9 per cent receiving top grades, followed by London with 34.5 per cent receiving top grades.

Below is a list of the percentage of GCSE entries receiving grades of 7 or above by nation and region:

Northern Ireland – 39.9 per cent

London – 34.5 per cent

South-east England – 31.9 per cent

South-west England – 29.1 per cent

Wales – 28.7 per cent

England – 28.5 per cent

Eastern England – 28.5 per cent

North-west England – 25.9 per cent

West Midlands – 25.3 per cent

East Midlands – 25.1 per cent

North-east England – 24.5 per cent

Yorkshire & the Humber – 24.4 per cent

PA