22 August 2013
Many anxious students have today received their long-awaited GCSE results for exams taken this summer. Both tears of disappointment and sighs of relief were witnessed up and down the country. A huge WELL DONE to all students who have worked hard and received the grades they were hoping for. Over 600,000 students were entered for exams and many will now be able to move on to further education, apprenticeship or employment.
There has been a fall in the proportion of entries awarded A*- C grades for the second year in a row due to the raising of grade boundaries. The percentage is now at 68.1%, down 1.3% on last year. For the first time since GCSEs were introduced, there has also been a slight drop in the overall pass rate. However, this year has seen an increase in candidates being entered for exams in foreign languages and humanities, reversing a long-term negative trend.
Many congratulations to our own students at EducateFirst on their outstanding achievement. As always, the hard work put in by our students has been rewarded in the form of an excellent set of GCSE exam results. With GCSE standards being raised year on year, it is becoming increasingly important that students receive the help and support they need to achieve their full potential. Here at EducateFirst, we strive to provide the best quality of teaching to aid students in their academic life and to provide them with the tools they need to be successful.
There will always remain a huge issue over exam results for GCSE and A-levels. I did my GCSE exams 11 years ago and it must be said that I do not think they are getting easier, but quite the opposite. Students learn more high level topics in subjects like maths and science compared to what they used to in school. My younger sister is doing just that and I cannot help her with her work as it is beyond what I ever did at school. This is quite scary as I would not have done as well if I was put through that. However, my sister goes to the support groups offered by educate first at the Leeds branch and feels that she gets all the help she needs and does not need a tutor to come home or for me to help her which is a relief.
Jamie