9:40am Thursday 27th August 2009
TEENAGERS have scored record GCSEs results again, with two-thirds of exams awarded a good grade.
But there was a drop in the number of English entries being awarded at least a C, and the number of pupils taking a foreign language continued its steady decline.
Overall, 21.6 per cent of grades were awarded an A* or A, an increase of 0.9 percentage points on last year.
More than 67.1 per cent of entries were at grades A*-C, up from 65.7 per cent last summer, an increase of 1.4 percentage points. The overall pass rate at A*-G was rose to 98.6 per cent from 98.4 per cent last year.
The rises came despite the number of entries dipping again this year - there were more than 5.46 million entries this year, compared with 5.66 million in 2008.
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which published the national GCSE results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said the fall was in line with the reduction in the number of 16-year-olds.
English results fell this year, 62.7 per cent of entries were awarded at least a C grade, down 0.2 per cent from 62.9 per cent in 2008. But the proportion of maths entries scoring A*-C rose 0.9 per cent to 57.2 per cent, from 56.3 per cent last year.
There was an increase in the number of pupils taking separate exams in biology, chemistry and physics, while the number taking a single science GCSE have fallen.
Modern languages were again casualties, as the numbers of pupils taking French or German slumped for the seventh year. The slump follows the Government's controversial decision to make modern foreign language optional after the age of 14.
JCQ director Jim Sinclair said: "This is a day of celebration for students and their teachers. There has been good performance overall across most subjects including mathematics and languages.
"It is also reassuring to see increased entry to the separate sciences. The core subjects of English, mathematics and science continue to dominate and account for almost half of the full course entry."
Schools minister defends GCSE exams
GCSEs are "a well-accepted qualification", schools minister Vernon Coaker said as results were announced amid concerns that they are not preparing pupils for future success.
Mr Coaker said: "Huge numbers of young people do these every year, they're accepted by examination boards, accredited by them, they're looked after by Ofsted, by the office for qualifications.
"All of those people ensuring that standards are maintained and I think today is a day for celebrating those results."
He told GMTV he did not accept that students would be better served by taking international GCSEs, which some experts have claimed are a better preparation for A-levels.
He said: "Some people say that. I don't accept that. I think the GCSEs that the vast majority of young people do in this country are an excellent preparation for A-level or it's an excellent preparation for any of the other courses that people choose to follow."
Earlier, one union leader warned that GCSEs are still "selling students short". Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said many pupils would achieve good grades at the expense of learning useful skills.
She said: "In our exam-obsessed system, students are taught to pass tests, rather than encouraged to learn skills.
"Our exam system is particularly ill-suited to helping young people develop their creativity, initiative, team-working, problem-solving and reasoning skills which they need in work and to continue in higher education."
The unrelenting focus on exams is failing the two-fifths of young people who do not pass five GCSEs, she said. "They continue to be spat out of an education system which has no room to develop their skills and talents and so completely fails to meet their needs."
Dr Bousted called on ministers to reform the assessment system.
What do you think? Do you believe GCSEs are good qualifications which teach young people useful skills? Are you celebrating your results today? Add your comments below.
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