Damian Hinds:
The numbered grades will clearly signal to employers that these exams are of a world-class standard
Can you remember the day you returned to school to collect the envelope containing your GCSE results? I can – although they weren’t called GCSES back then. It all comes flooding back – the nerves but also the excitement, of what was next, of the opportunities to come. For 16-yearolds across the country, today is that day. Whatever the envelope contains, it is a moment to reflect on the past few years, pat yourself on the back and to look ahead to the future.
This is the second year that pupils have sat new GCSES. Following years of employers saying that the old GCSES didn’t provide young people with the skills they needed, we have reformed these qualifications – with the support of business – so that they match the best education systems in the world.
The contents of the results envelope will start to look very different, too. The new GCSES are now graded from nine to one instead of A* to G. The new grades will be a clear signpost for employers, universities and colleges of whether someone has taken one of the new, more rigorous GCSES.
Despite these changes, I want to reassure you that this year’s results will be fair to the young people who worked hard for their exams. To make sure that pupils who take the new GCSES are not at a disadvantage, the independent qualifications regulator Ofqual uses a statistical method called “comparable outcomes”. This ensures that broadly the same proportion of pupils will pass and reach the equivalent of an A grade as in previous years, assuming the ability profile of the pupils is the same.
But there is greater differentiation for higher-achieving pupils, with more grades above the “standard pass” level of grade four. This means not as many pupils will get the very highest grade (nine) as previously got an A*.
I know that exams can be a stressful time. Teachers are well versed in helping to manage the pressures exams bring, and I want to thank them for their dedication and passion, particularly over these past few months. Whether it was running study groups, giving pupils last-minute advice or helping to mark thousands of exam papers, without teachers there would be no meaningful assessment. Whatever today’s results bring, they are another chance to celebrate the hard work that happens in our classrooms term in, term out, to improve education for every child and to raise standards across the board.
There are 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, which represents 86 per cent of pupils now, compared with 66 per cent then. More children are reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and maths at primary school, setting them up for secondary school and beyond. In fact, there are fewer 19-year-olds who have not passed English and maths GCSES than ever before. These figures are testament to our brilliant teachers.
Alongside this, we’re making sure that every family has a good school nearby. This decade we will have created a million new school places – the fastest increase for two generations – and backed by £23 billion by 2021 to ensure every child has access to a good school place.
It is my mission to improve education for every child and ensure young people have a real choice and the right information when making decisions about their future.
We are driving up the quality of apprenticeships so that young people can combine study with workplace experience in everything from law and accountancy to bricklaying and plastering. These are opening doors for the young, giving them the skills employers are crying out for.
We are also introducing new technical education qualifications to rival the best systems in the world. The introduction of T-levels in 2020 is being supported by some of the biggest employers in the country and will be backed by an extra £500 million a year once fully rolled out, giving young people a highquality alternative to A-levels.
Today is a significant milestone in the lives of many young people. Congratulations to all of them on their results and, no matter what path they choose to take next, we are working to make sure it provides them with a world-class education and a passport to an exciting future.
Damian Hinds is Secretary of State for Education