The amount of pupils receiving top GCSE grades has increased from last year along with the pass rate. This is despite the difficulty of this year’s exams.
More than 700,000 pupils are receiving their grades today. Many of the exams are now graded numerically (1-9) instead of the classic G to A* grading system.
The pass rate for GCSES increased to 67.3% in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, this is a rise of 0.4% from last year. The percentage for top grade marks in GCSEs has increased by 0.3% to 20.8% – top marks are A/7 or above. This year one in five pupils got a grand A/7 in their GCSEs.
The rise is a surprise to many as teachers in England warned that the exams were harder than previous years. Teachers and students had already complained about the difficulty of some GCSE maths papers.
In England, 837 candidates got grades 9s in all of their subjects.
The changes in GCSEs have been a big concern to many as students have been suffering with how hard they were and many young people were left feeling “disillusioned, disengaged and stressed”. A poll by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) of 554 members in England found eight in 10 thought they were having a negative effect on struggling students.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “Exams are an essential part of ensuring that young people have acquired the knowledge and skills they need, but should never be at the expense of a young person’s wellbeing.”
