1,000s gloomy after worst GCSE results for almost decade

THOUSANDS of students were disappointed yesterday as the number achieving top GCSE grades fell to the lowest level for eight years.

As 700,000 collected their exam results, figures showed 66.9% of entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland achieved A* to C grades.

That was a drop of 2.1 percentage points on 2015 and the worst year-on-year decline since GCSEs were introduced in the late 1980s. The result was partly blamed on a 34% increase in pupils re-sitting English and maths.

Education reforms mean older teenagers have to keep taking exams in those core subjects until they achieve a C or above, but some fail to improve their performance.

However, Professor Alan Smithers, of Buckingham University, said: “The fall this year is larger than might have been expected.”

Jill Stokoe, of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, warned ministers that forcing 17-year-olds to re-sit exams was “not in the best interests of students”. She added: “It is clearly not working because fewer students are passing their re-sits now that they are compulsory.”

Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications showed girls were continuing to outperform boys. Only 62.4% of boys’ entries got at least a C, compared with 71.3% of girls’.

From next summer pupils will take reformed courses in English language, literature and maths.

Instead of being graded A* to G, the highest grade will be nine, while the lowest will be one.

The changes will be rolled out across another 17 subjects by the summer of 2018.

Fewer students are passing resits now they are compulsory

JILL STOKOE TEACHING EXPERT YESTERDAY