College students sitting GCSE exams and formal assessments this summer season have proven unimaginable resilience, and immediately we have a good time their success. To recognise the disruption that they’ve skilled, as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Ofqual made preparations with the Division for Schooling and examination boards to place in place an unprecedented package deal of help for college kids.
This help included some modifications to coursework to mirror public well being restrictions in place on the time college students had been doing their assessments, a selection of content material in some topics, and formulae and equation sheets had been supplied in maths and science. Examination boards additionally printed advance info in February which gave details about a few of the subjects that might be within the exams. This was supposed to assist college students to focus their revision and make the exams really feel much less daunting.
For all topics, there was lenient grading, reflecting a staging publish between 2021 and 2019 grades.
Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator, mentioned:
College students amassing GCSE outcomes immediately might be so happy with their achievements – a testomony to their exhausting work and resilience over the previous 2 years. I do know, from visiting faculties and faculties throughout England since September, that college students and academics welcome the return of exams and formal assessments. College students informed me that they wished the possibility to show themselves on this tried and examined method. As with A stage outcomes, immediately’s GCSE outcomes are increased general than these of 2019, and – as we’ve all the time mentioned – decrease than in 2021, when there was a unique methodology of evaluation. It is smart to check this 12 months’s outcomes with these of 2019 when exams had been final sat. I felt strongly that it could not have been proper to go straight again to pre-pandemic grading in a single go however settle for that we do have to proceed to take steps again to normality. These outcomes general, coming as they do broadly halfway between 2021 and 2019, signify a staging publish on that journey.
Key factors
That is the primary summer season examination sequence since 2019. In the present day’s outcomes shouldn’t be in comparison with 2020 or 2021, due to the completely different strategies of evaluation. Total GCSE outcomes are increased than in 2019. Outcomes at grade 7 and above are 26.0% in contrast with 20.6% in 2019, and outcomes at grade 4 and above are 73.0% in contrast with 67.0% in 2019. The outcomes for GCSE French and German mirror the changes we required examination boards to make, following our announcement that we’d purpose to raised align grade requirements with Spanish
In the present day (25 August 2022) we’re publishing:
a abstract of outcomes (beneath)
infographics about this 12 months’s GCSE outcomes
interactive visualisations of outcomes by centre sort, variability in class and school GCSE outcomes, GCSE outcomes in England, an interactive map of England exhibiting GCSE ends in completely different topics by grade and county and GCSE grade combos
outcomes of the 2022 Nationwide Reference Take a look at
As in a typical 12 months, the Joint Council for {Qualifications} (JCQ) has printed ends in England for GCSE, general and by topic. These outcomes are additionally proven in our interactive visualisation.
Centre sort outcomes
Ofqual has up to date its interactive visualisation to point out GCSE outcomes for various kinds of college and school in comparison with earlier years, general and by topic. The centre sort classes are primarily based on the nationwide centre quantity (NCN) register and are self-reported by centres.
Total outcomes for every type of faculties and faculties are increased than in 2019 at grade 7 and above. The extent to which outcomes have modified relative to 2019 is probably going, partially, to mirror longstanding variations within the sample of outcomes for various centre sorts. This summer season outcomes will even mirror any differential affect of the pandemic.
Cumulative share outcomes by centre sort – grade 7 and above
Centre sort 2019 2021 2022 Academies 20.7 28.0 25.6 Free faculties 20.6 29.2 25.5 FE institution 1.0 2.2 1.5 Impartial 47.0 61.2 53.0 Different 7.2 12.7 10.3 Secondary complete 18.5 26.0 23.3 Secondary fashionable 13.6 20.0 16.7 Secondary selective 58.1 68.5 66.2 Sixth kind school 1.4 3.3 2.4 Tertiary school 1.9 3.5 2.9
At grade 4 and above outcomes for various kinds of college and school differ relative to 2019. That is more likely to mirror the altering cohort in some kinds of centre. For instance, there’s a a lot smaller post-16 cohort this summer season, and these learners usually make up the vast majority of the entries in additional training institutions and faculties.
Cumulative share outcomes by centre sort – grade 4 and above
Centre sort 2019 2021 2022 Academies 69.2 78.2 74.5 Free faculties 69.2 78.7 73.9 FE institution 24.0 37.9 23.4 Impartial 90.1 95.5 92.5 Different 37.3 54.2 43.2 Secondary complete 67.6 77.3 73.3 Secondary fashionable 61.7 71.6 67.5 Secondary selective 96.9 98.8 97.9 Sixth kind school 31.2 47.6 27.4 Tertiary school 27.0 42.1 25.4
Centre variability
Ofqual’s interactive visualisation reveals the extent of variation in faculties’ and faculties’ GCSE outcomes in comparison with 2019. We all know that, in any 12 months, particular person faculties and faculties might even see variation within the proportion of scholars reaching specific grades in comparison with earlier years. This may be because of many alternative components, together with variations within the combine of scholars entered for specific {qualifications}, completely different instructing approaches, modifications in instructing workers or instructing time, and modifications to {qualifications}. This 12 months, the method to grading can be extra lenient than pre-pandemic.
On the whole, there may be barely extra variation in centres’ outcomes. This isn’t stunning, on condition that comparisons are being remodeled an extended time interval (3 years). Our interactive visualisation permits customers to discover variation in centres’ outcomes for various age teams and sizes of centres.
Equalities analyses
Now that outcomes have been issued, Ofqual will probably be repeating the equalities analyses we printed in 2020 and 2021. It was not doable for us to finish this evaluation forward of outcomes being issued, as a result of remaining information from exams is just obtainable very near outcomes days. We’ll publish this as quickly as we are able to, within the autumn.
In 2020 and 2021, this evaluation thought-about whether or not the gaps between the outcomes for various teams of scholars, that are noticed in years when exams go forward, had modified. This summer season the identical evaluation preparations have utilized to all college students. Any modifications within the variations in outcomes for college kids with completely different protected traits are seemingly because of different components, such because the affect of the pandemic.
Grade boundaries
Examination boards have set grade boundaries this summer season primarily based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative proof. As in earlier years when exams passed off, there was an vital function for examiner judgement in reviewing the standard of scholars’ work.
On the whole, grade boundaries are decrease this summer season than in 2019. This isn’t stunning given the lenient method to grading. Not all grade boundaries are decrease than 2019 although, because the place of the boundaries additionally displays the issue of the evaluation. The evaluation preparations in plenty of GCSE topics had been additionally completely different this summer season – for instance, there was a selection of content material in some topics. For these specs, direct comparisons between grade boundaries this summer season and in 2019 can’t be made.
GCSE French and German
In 2019 we introduced that we’d search to align grade requirements in GCSE French and German with Spanish, following the conclusion of our inter-subject comparability work. This summer season we required examination boards to make an upward adjustment in each French and German at grades 9, 7 and 4. This was taken under consideration throughout awarding and is mirrored within the outcomes. We’ll evaluation this and think about whether or not any additional changes are required in future sequence.
