There has been a sharp drop in GCSE grades this year as Ofqual tackles the ‘grade inflation’ of the pandemic teacher-assessed grades.
According to the regulator GCSE grades in England the number of pupils attaining grade 7 or above – equivalent to the former A and A* – has dropped from rates in 2020 and 2021.
GCSE Grades drop
Ofqual has announced overall, 73.2% of GCSEs were marked at grades 4/C and above this year, down from 77.1% in 2021, when grades were based on teachers’ assessments – but this is an increase from 2019 when 67% of students attained these grades.
Similarly, in 2022 at GCSE the proportion of top grades – 7/As and above – is 26.3%, however, this is a 2.6% drop from 2021. Although there is a drop from the teacher-assessed grades there is an increase from 2019 when students last sat formal exams.
There is also a stark divide between pupils receiving grade 7/A in the north of England and those in the south. In Cumbria, Northumberland, Merseyside and Lancashire the percentage of students attaining grade 7/A or above in all subjects sat at 23.1% or less.
In London, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire the percentage of students attaining these top grades was no less than 34.9%.
Ofqual tackles grade inflation
The drop in grades follows the drop the A-Level students faced last year as the regulator Ofqual is attempting to tackle ‘grade inflation’ caused by teacher-assessed grades due to pupils being unable to sit exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jo Saxton, chief executive of exam regulator Ofqual, said this year’s results represent a “staging post” in the Government’s attempts to slim grades back down to pre-pandemic levels.
This was also commented on by Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) when he reiterated it was important to remember that lower grades this year “has nothing to do with the performance of pupils but reflects the decision by the Government and Ofqual to move grading standards back”.