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This year the GCSE results have experienced a massive
undulation after a record plunge was marked in the proportion of students
receiving C grades and higher than that. The fall has been triggered by the
huge rise in the number of pupils aged 15 years or even younger participating in
the exams. Some say that the tough science papers are also the cause for the drop.
Meanwhile it has also been found that students pursuing multiple courses at a
time have made it badly in the exams.
An insight into reports show that this year’s GCSE entries
achieving grades between A*-C stood at 68.1%; thus, marking a fall by 1.3% of
what was recorded in the year 2012. Last year around 69.4% of students had managed
to achieve grades between A*-C. Meanwhile a rise has been noted in the number
of pupils achieving grades lying between and A* and C since the year 1988. Furthermore,
it has been found that the numbers of A* grade achievers have fallen by .5%.
The Joint Council for Qualification has published results revealing
that female candidates have superseded their male counterparts at grades C or
above. It was during the year 2003 that people witnessed female students
outperforming males ones. The overview of the report has been mentioned below:
(A*-C
achievers)
Girls Boys
72.3% 63.7%
(A*
achievers)
Girls Boys
8.3% 5.3%
Now, this explains that girls are ahead of boys in terms of
the academic grades they have achieved in this year’s GCSE. Michael Turner,
JCQ’s director has emphasized on the following factors to indicate why this
year’s GCSE has experienced a drop. Take a look at them:
- Considerable increase in the 15 year old entries
- Science specifications encompassing greater challenges for students
- Early entry into mathematics
- Multiple entry into mathematics
These factors not only have an impact on the entries but
also on the results. It has been learnt that the massive fall can crucially
affect schools which are struggling to retain their floor standards considered
by the Department of Education. If a school falls below this floor standard it
will trigger an inspection to be conducted by the Ofsted, ultimately compelling
poorly performing schools to being converted to academies.
A school will fundamentally be considered below the floor
standard if it fails to show the following:
- 40% pupils achieving a standard C grade or higher than that in minimum 5 GCSEs (including mathematics and English)
- An overall progress in both disciplines (Mathematics and English)
One of the biggest causes for the
down fall is the huge young enrollments. According to the JCQ the figures have
shot up to a massive 39% hike for students aged 15 or below taking up the board
examinations, totaling up to around 806,000. Furthermore the JCQ reports showed
that the results of the 16 year olds remained stable. Declination was marked in
exam results of 15 year old pupils. Overall, the figures have also shown a
sharp rise in the number of students who have participated in multiple examinations.
Source: www.theguardian.com/education/2013/aug/22/gcse-results-2013-record-fall-c-grades-higher
