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GCSE results: One in five achieve top grades
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by liamssoft | August 21, 2008 at 04:22 am
1411 views | 42 Recommendations | 18 comments
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Hundreds of thousands of UK students received their GCSE results this morning. For those who worked very hard revising they have been rewarded with a pass. Well done...
A sharp increase in top grades at GCSE was reported today as students concentrate on fewer subjects.
With the lowest number of entries for the exam since 2003, the percentage of students gaining A* or A grades jumped 1.2 percentage points - the highest for more than a decade - to 20.7%, and 2.4 percentage points at grade C and above.
Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland about 750,000 candidates were this morning receiving 5.6 million grades.
This year 65.7% of the exams taken were awarded A* to C grades, a rise of 2.4 percentage points from 63.3% last year, the exam boards reported.
More than a fifth - 20.7% - were awarded either A* or A grades.
As usual entries from Northern Ireland outperformed the best. There, 26.4% were awarded A* or A grades and 74.5% A* to C.
In England, 20.6% achieved A*/A and 65.5% A* to C. In Wales the figures were 18.9% and 65%.
Scotland's exam results were released two weeks ago.
Foreign languages fall...
There was concern about a significant slump in the number of teenagers studying foreign languages at GCSE today, as pupils broke another record for the number of top grades overall.
The figures have consistently nosedived since the Government's decision to abolish the requirement for all teenagers to study a foreign language beyond the age of 14 in 2004.
There have been falls year-on-year since the policy was introduced, with drops from 547,189 in 2003 to just 382,228 this year.
There was a massive slump in the numbers of pupils choosing information technology - with entries down by more than 14,000.
This year the science double award was abolished and replaced by two separate qualifications - science and additional science.
While additional science wasn’t such a popular choice with British youngsters, there were increased entries in the separate sciences, with biology up by 35.3 per cent, chemistry up 29.4 per cent and physics up 29.1 per cent.
Elsewhere, the results showed that boys are once again falling behind girls and improving their share of C grades and above more slowly than their female classmates.
Grammar schools posted better results than independent schools, claiming a bigger share of both Cs and As.
Schools minister Andrew Adonis earlier urged those 16-year-olds receiving their results not to give up on their education, even if they did not achieve the grades they wanted.
Lord Adonis said the "September Guarantee" would mean that all school leavers were guaranteed the offer of a suitable opportunity to carry on studying.
Options available to teenagers now include A-levels, the new diploma courses and vocational qualifications.
Ministers hailed the results as the best ever achieved by teenagers.
It is the first set of figures for pupils spending their entire school life under Labour after starting primary education in September 1997.
Liberal Democrat view...
Annette Brooke, the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for children, said: "After 11 years of a Labour government, most young people are still failing to achieve five good GCSEs including maths and English. If we are going to have a world-class education system, we must do more to promote educational achievement, especially among the most disadvantaged children."
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (18)
at 04:26 on August 21st, 2008
liamssoft, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Less Students is not good news though!
at 05:19 on August 21st, 2008
Many thanks for your comments and GS Paschen, Less Students is not good news, more motivation is required and perhaps cash incentives for schools to help the poorest achievers catch up.
at 05:17 on August 21st, 2008
liamssoft, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 05:48 on August 21st, 2008
Many thanks for reading and your GS Rhonda
at 08:17 on August 21st, 2008
liamssoft, I like this story. It's good stuff. Better that a student gets a pass, even if low, in a subject than no credit at all. At the upper end of the scale, it is still exceedingly tough to get a place at the so-called top universities. Have to say, in my day only 20% even got five O-Levels and perhaps 10% at grade A, so am a little bit envious that now everybody automatically gets 20 all at A*!
at 08:24 on August 21st, 2008
Many thanks for your comments and GS Christina 123 yes they have done well, credit to them.
at 09:35 on August 21st, 2008
I don't want to take anything away from hard-working students, but the GCSEs are definitely easier than they were when they first launched. I got hold of a mock-exam paper for GCSE Chemistry a couple of years ago and, having not studied the subject for 15 years, I'd have got a 'B'. I'm almost tempted to go back to school and have another go at all those subjects I didn't do so well in!
The downside of all these high grades, is that it must be near impossible for Universities to pick their students.
at 12:56 on August 21st, 2008
Good comment, mchawk, made me dig out an old chemistry exam paper I sat at my old grammar school aged 13 (a few years ago..) If anyone wants to have a go, I can supply the answers later...? GCSE's are aimed at 15-16 year olds, but I hear they aren't that easy. Unis now expect 4 grade A's in "proper" subjects (from the traditional 3 A-levels with a mix of A's, B's and C's.)
This is a written paper for which I scored
37.5 (out of 50) and then there is a second
typewritten sheet in which one had to fill in the
blank spaces, for which I was awarded 34.5, with an
overall mark of 73% ('A').
I was clearly proud of this for on the back I have
jotted down the fact I also received an 'A' in
English, 80% in French ('A') and 76% in German ('B' -
still came third).
Looking at the exam, I wonder how it compares to
today's exams. (NB: re the chemical 'arrow', I have
had to enscribe as = owing to keyboard limitations.)
You have one and a half hours.
Q1, state the name of the salt produced when
(a) Magnesium reacts with sulphuric acid...
(b) Zinc oxide reacts with hydrochloric acid...
(c) Calcium carbonate reacts with nitric acid...
(d) Ammonium hydroxide reacts with nitric acid...(0.5 points each)
Q2 From the following list of elements select
(a) two which can be trivalent
(b) three which can be monovalent
(c) five which are divalent:-
Magnesium, sodium, lead, aluminium, iron, silver, potssium, calcium, barium, zinc.
(a)....
(b)....
(c).... (0.5 points per correct answer)
Q3 Write down the formulae for the following:-
Lead chloride
Ammonium carbonate
Magnesium bicarbonate
Silver nitrate
Aluminium sulphate
Ammonium hydroxide
Barium sulphate
Ferrous nitrate
Potassium bisulphate
Ferric oxide (0.5 points each)
Q4 The formula of magnesium sulphate is MgSO4.7H2O. If Mg = 24, S=32, O=16, H=1.
Will the molecular weight be:- (1) 220, (2) 246, (3) 267, (4) 201, (5) 278?
Will the percentage sulphur in the compound be:-
(1) 22, (2) 10, (3) 13, (4) 18, (5) 25?
Will the weight of anhydrous magnesium sulphate produced by heating 1.23gm of MgSO4.7H2O be:-
(1) 0.7gm, (2) 0.6gm, (3) 1.2 gm, (4) 2.7gm, (5) 1.9gm? (2 points each)
Q5 If a piece of blue litmus paper stays blue when placed in a given solution, will the solution be; (1) acid, (2) alkaline, (3) alkaline or neutral, (4) acid or neutral, (5) neutral? (2 points)
Q6. From the following list of gases select two which are very soluble in water:- (1) hydrogen, (2) carbon dioxide, (3) nitric oxide, (4) ammonia, (5) hydrogen chloride.
Name the experiment used to prove that the gas is very soluble:
(2 points each)
Q7 (a) When a certain chemical substance is added to sodium chloride a white precipitate is produced which is insoluble in dil. nitric acid but soluble in ammonia solution.
(1) name the chemical used.......
(2) name the white precipitate...
(b) From the following subtances select two which are not soluble in cold water:- sodium carbonate, potassium nitrate, lead iodide, ammonium sulphate, barium sulphate, copper nitrate.... (2 points each.)
Q8. Complete and balance the following equations:-
NH4Cl NaOH
3Cu 8HNO3
Pb(NO3)2 PbO N2O4 O2
CaCO3 HCl (0.5 marks each correct notation)
Q9. Complete the following definitions:-
(a) the solubility of a substance...
(b A saturated solution is...
(c) An efflorescent substance is one...
(2 points each). Quiz Ends.
at 03:23 on August 22nd, 2008
Thanks, looks hard Christina 123
at 03:24 on August 22nd, 2008
Yes mchawk it must be hard to judge if the exams are easier and even harder for the Universities to decide which students to enroll.
at 08:32 on August 21st, 2008
liamssoft, interesting stats, and may I say that this story has been put together excellently.
Oh, we folk from Northern Ireland are very clever. Very clever indeed! ;)
at 09:10 on August 21st, 2008
Many thanks for your comments and GS generaldecay
Northern Ireland must have a special gift
at 09:29 on August 21st, 2008
liamssoft, I like this story. It's good stuff - a great round-up of the results
at 09:39 on August 21st, 2008
Many thanks mchawk for your comments and GS.
at 09:43 on August 21st, 2008
liamssoft, I like this story. It's good stuff.
A great round-up - I actually moved to Canada before having to do my GCSE's but I remember when my friends were all eagerly awaiting theirs...
at 10:33 on August 21st, 2008
Many thanks for your comments and GS amyjudd
lots of celebrations this evening.
at 13:42 on August 4th, 2009
I did a GCSE in law and I couldn't believe how easy it was.
One thing they forget to tell you is that there are still two levels: for example, French is either very easy or you have a Higher which more horrible vocab and grammar. I was going to do a French one in Adult Education but was just too easy and they didn't provide a Higher Level.
I spoke to a teenager who took her GSCEs and even she said they were too easy. Saying that, my law exam was a lot more fun than the horrible boring O'Levels I took at school.
I think what is hard, is that they take so many.
at 13:48 on August 4th, 2009
If you think GSCE is easy you should see what the Adult Education Literacy Level is like. I did it. It was supposed to be as good as 'GSCE English' but it was well below that. In the whole time I was there, I wrote just one essay and all my English lessons were handouts, where we had to put words in.
I mean.. what is the country coming to if I find lessons easy?
And oh, you should see my Online Journalism course..hard work, but it is easy.