subject: Record Gcse Results For 23rd Year Running [print this page] For the 23rd year in a row there has been a recorded rise in GCSE results as almost 7 out of 10 entries have been awarded a C or above. On top of this 22% of exams sat in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were awarded an A or A* grade. There is also an increasing trend in pupils taking GCSE Maths and English exams a year early, which fuels the rumours that the exams are getting easier although Schools Minister Nick Gibb insists they are not. There is increasing pressure on students to do well, which perhaps explains the gradual incline of results.
This year 98.7% of entries passed all their exams, with pupils in Northern Ireland doing the best with 76.3% of entries gaining an A* to C grade. In England 69% of entries achieved A* to C grades, and in Wales it was 66.4%. Students from all across the country have achieved excellent results, from the top achieving Thomas Telford School in Shropshire to schools in Swindon, Brighton, Ipswich and Basildon also achieving top results.
Christine Blower, the General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Overall the GCSE results are again a massive vote of confidence in young people and their teachers. The continuing improvement in results in the sciences, and English and mathematics demonstrates the high quality and effectiveness of comprehensive education." This a view supported by many in the education system and by the results achieved as previously struggling schools from Hull, Guildford, Blackpool and Lincoln have joined the rankings as their students pass their exams.
Across the subjects there has been a huge rise in the numbers of science GCSE"s that have been sat, with individual sciences rising respectively. However, modern language exam entries have declined, although more students are taking Portuguese, Chinese and Polish exams. In most subjects boys continue to lag behind girls, a trend of more than two decades, although that being said boys have maintained the edge they gained at A* and A in maths. In Bournemouth boys schools outperformed girls schools in Maths, this was also the case in Durham, Salisbury and Maidstone.
The National Teachers Union (NASUWT) has said that even though pupils have achieved the best ever results, they face a bleak outcome due to the government's austerity measures. Unfortunately for them their results come during a time of increased competition for college places and jobs, and a severe squeeze on university budgets. So although the students have done incredibly well, they have larger hurdles still to overcome.
