A-level boys overtake the girls
They do best for first time since 1999 as exams toughen up
‘Switch from continuous testing’
BOYS surged ahead of girls in yesterday’s A-level results following an overhaul of the exams. They picked up more A* and A grades for the first time in almost 20 years.
Some 26.6 per cent of boys’ A-levels were awarded the top two grades this summer, compared with just 26.1 per cent of girls.
Last year, only 25.7 per cent of entries by boys got an A or A*, while 26 per cent of entries by girls did so.
Pupils sat tougher A-levels in 13 subjects, assessed primarily through end- of-year exams rather than coursework or testing at the end of each module.
But regulator Ofqual said it would lower the percentage of marks required for top grades to stop those who face the first year of tougher exams being disadvantaged.
The new format, brought in by Michael Gove when he was education secretary, is thought to give boys the upper hand because on average they are less likely to work consistently through the year and instead make a big push at the end.
Boys were ahead of girls in As and A*s in the 1990s, but this changed in 1999 and girls soared ahead when A-levels became more modular in 2002.
Alan Smithers, education professor at Buckingham University, said: ‘ A major factor in the reversal is the switch from continuous assessment … There’s a lot of evidence that boys tend to do better when the exams are at the end.’
If only A*s are considered, boys have historically been ahead due to their dominance in maths, and that continued this year.
Results in the reformed subjects fell year-on-year, suggesting efforts to make the qualifications more rigorous had an impact. As well as the change in format, many subjects beefed up content.
The updated courses are: art and design; biology; business; chemistry; computer science; economics; English language; English literature; English literature and language; history; physics; psychology; sociology and Welsh. In these, the proportion of A*s declined by 0.5 percentage points to 7.2 per cent. The total As and A*s fell 0.7 percentage points to 24.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, A*-E results across these subjects went down 0.5 percentage points to 98.1 per cent.
But across all subjects, the proportion of entries graded A or A* has risen for the first time in six years, to 26.3 per cent.
The proportion of A*s was 8.3 per cent – the most since the grade was introduced in 2010 – driven by students being particularly successful in unreformed subjects. The data from the Joint Council for Qualifications, representing exam boards, suggested pupils may have sought top grades by choosing courses that have not yet been toughened up.
They flocked to subjects such as politics and geography, but the re- designed English and history courses saw falls of 7.2 per cent and 8 per cent respectively in entries.
It led to fears that schools may be steering students away from certain subjects to boost grades.
However, tougher versions of all subjects will be phased in for future years. Ofqual said it will adjust grade thresholds to ensure roughly one in four of all A-levels get an A or A* each year, so students are not ‘disadvantaged’ by the reforms.
Ofqual’s chief regulator Sally Collier told the Sunday Times: ‘If we were not using the approach … we would see a fall in results this year and possibly a significant one.’
Yesterday, Alex Scharaschkin of exam board AQA added: ‘We’ve been very careful to make sure the results are fair, so there has been no advantage or disadvantage from something you cannot control, the year you were born.’ But Professor Smithers said: ‘ In the long run I hope the grades will be allowed to find their own level, otherwise it makes a mockery of making the exams harder.’
In languages, there were more As and A*s, after marking was altered to help non- native speakers. French and German entries fell.
Schools minister Nick Gibb said: ‘ Increasing entries to science, technology, engineering and maths subjects bodes well for the economic prosperity of our country.’ Comment – Page 16