Celebration for students despite GCSE shake-up
THOUSANDS OF pupils have celebrated GCSE success across Yorkshire despite facing the biggest exams shake-up in England for a generation.
About 50,000 English and maths GCSEs were awarded the new highest grade this summer, amid the biggest shake-up of exams in England for a generation.
Over 2,000 teenagers scored a clean sweep, gaining 9s in English, English literature and maths.
They included dozens across the county, including six pupils at King Ecbert School, in Sheffield, and five at The Grammar School at Leeds, who achieved all A*s and 9s. King Ecgbert headteacher Paul Haigh said: “We are so proud of everything all our students have achieved, but these six have stunned us all.”
Overall pass rates fell, with around a fifth of entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland achieving at least an A or 7 under the new system, while two thirds gained at least a C or 4.
Under the overhaul, traditional A* to G grades are being gradually replaced in England with a 9 to 1 system. English and maths are the first to move across, with other subjects following over the next two years.
Among 16-year-olds in England, around 18,600 maths entries scored a 9 – the new highest grade – while almost 31,000 achieved the top mark in the two English GCSEs combined.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said teachers and pupils had “performed miracles” in “very challenging circumstances”.
Fewer candidates achieved a 9 than the proportion who gained an A* under the traditional A*-G grading system, following the deliberate move to change the system to allow more differentiation, particularly between the brightest candidates.
However, despite the shakeup, across much of Yorkshire it was a day of celebration yesterday as schools and councils reported top results and inspiring success stories.
Leeds and York City Councils said pupils and staff have worked extra hard this year and deserve additional recognition.
Coun Stuart Rawlings, York’s Cabinet member for education, said: “Even with significant changes for our students this year, they have continued to achieve excellent outcomes.”
Mathematics in particular has more content, and in both subjects there has been a move away from coursework and pupils now sit all exams at the end of the two-year courses, rather than throughout the course.
Although the exams have been made more demanding, broadly the same proportions of candidates have achieved key passes – such as at the A/7 boundary – due to new processes put in place to ensure that results are comparable and that students taking the first new courses are not disadvantaged.
Mr Barton said: “They have performed miracles amidst a sea of curriculum change which continues unabated next year.
“They deserve tremendous credit.” RESULTS DAY can be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences for GCSE students eager to find out whether their years of hard work have paid off.
But for 17-year-old Alice Barfield, today was the culmination of a five-year journey which began when she was first diagnosed with cancer as a pupil in 2012.
The youngster, from Helperby, Hambleton, was forced to take two years out of school for chemotherapy and surgery during her fight against the bone cancer osteosarcoma.
But the pupil at Queen Mary’s School in Thirsk, now in remission, has remarkably managed to achieve a string of top grades after catching up on missed lessons.
In English language and English literature she achieved 9s – the highest grade possible – an A in history and a C in maths. She already held an A* GCSE in art.
“I’m really pleased with my results,” she said. “It was quite difficult coming back to school because there was a gap in knowledge.”