GCSE Results Day 2022: North-south divide grows as a third of students in London get top grades

A north-south divide in the UK’s GCSE grades has grown in this year’s results – with almost a third of pupils in London getting top grades compared, to just over one in five in the north-east.

Figures published today reveal how students 32.6 per cent of students in London obtained top grades – 7/A or above – in this year’s GCSE results, while the figure was 22.4 per cent for those in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber.

It means the figure is some 10.2 percentage points below London – up from last year when the gap between London and the North East was 10.0 percentage points.  

The divide has also widened from 9.3 percentage points pre-Covid in 2019, when 16.4 per cent of students in the North East got a top grade, compared with 25.7 per cent in London. 

It comes as figures published today by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) – covering GCSE entries from students predominantly in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – showed top grades of 7/A have fallen, as expected, this year.

They went from 28.9 per cent in 2021, when there were no formal exams due to Covid, to 26.3 per cent this year – a drop of 2.6 percentage points. 

Every region across the country saw a fall in the proportion of pupils getting a 7/A or above. But the divide between the highest and lowest-achieving areas since before the pandemic grew.

Schools minister Will Quince has insisted closing the attainment gap is a ‘huge priority’ for the Government, as Labour accused the Tories of having ‘failed’ children amid regional disparities in results.

Today, one educational charity, Schools North East, which describes itself as dedicated to improving outcomes for young people in the north-east of England, said the increased gap shows that adaptations made this year such as more generous grading and focused revision topics had not gone far enough.

The organisation said: ‘It is clear that the disproportionate impact of the pandemic in regions like the North East has not been effectively taken into account.

‘This year’s results can be seen as a ‘map’ of the impact of the pandemic on students and schools.’

The group’s director, Chris Zarraga, said the pandemic had exacerbated ‘serious perennial issues, especially that of long-term deprivation’, as he called for a support plan.

He said: ‘Schools urgently need a properly thought-through and resourced ‘recovery’ plan, that recognises the regional contexts schools operate in, with a long-term view of education and a curriculum that is appropriate and accessible to all students and schools.’

Mr Quince told Times Radio: ‘Ensuring that wherever you live up and down our country that you have access to a world-class education, and you have the same opportunity – whether you live in Bournemouth or Barnsley – is really important to us, and every year up until the pandemic we’ve been closing the attainment gap.’

As expected, with the return to formal exams for the first time in three years, top grades fell from 2021 levels but remained higher than in 2019.

It comes as figures show top grades for GCSEs have fallen by a record amount and are down on last year but higher than pre-pandemic levels.

The plunge in top grades will affect an estimated 75,000 – with about 50,000 fewer getting at least a basic pass in six GCSEs. Sixth forms usually ask for at least four passes.

Top grades of 7/A or above in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell from 28.9 per cent in 2021 to 26.3 per cent this year, a drop of 2.6 percentage points. But this is higher than the equivalent 2019 figure of 20.8 per cent.

The proportion of entries receiving a 4/C or above – considered a pass – dropped from 77.1 per cent in 2021 to 73.2 per cent this year, a fall of 3.9 percentage points, but higher than 67.3 per cent in 2019.

And girls continued their lead over boys this year, with 30.0 per cent of entries achieving a 7/A, compared with 22.6 per cent for males, according to figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

But the gap has closed slightly from last year, when 33.4 per cent of female entries were awarded 7/A or above compared with 24.4 per cent for males, a lead of 9.0 percentage points.

Separate figures, published by exams regulator Ofqual, showed that 2,193 16-year-olds in England got a grade 9/A* in all their subjects – including 13 students who did at least 12 GCSEs.

The top 10 subjects at GCSE, which sees pupils having to take a number of compulsory subjects as well as some optional choices, remained the same this year. Business studies, which is optional, saw the biggest percentage rise in entries of any major subject, jumping by 4.6 per cent from 102,542 to 107,283. While Spanish remains the second-most popular modern foreign language after French, its entries have fallen for the first time since 2018.

While traditional A*-G grades are used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced in with a 9-1 system, where nine is the highest. A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is roughly the same as an A. 

In 2021, the proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades surged to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19 and pupils were given results determined by their teachers.

Similar to the pattern with A-level results, published last week, it had been expected that grades would drop below last year, but remain above those from 2019 as students returned to sitting exams for the first time in three years.

Kath Thomas, interim chief executive officer of JCQ, congratulated students getting their results ‘after lots of hard work and all the challenges of the pandemic’.

She said: ‘We’re pleased that exams are back, as they’re the fairest way to assess students and give everyone the chance to show what they know.

‘This is the first time in three years that results have been based on formal exams and coursework, so it’s a welcome step back towards normality.

‘These results will help them progress to the next stage of their education and make some important decisions about their future.

‘As planned – and as with last week’s A-level results, these results are higher than the last set of summer exams in 2019, but lower than last year’s teacher-assessed grades.’

Meanwhile, exam board Pearson warned this week that thousands of students could miss out on being issued BTec (Business and Technology Education Council) results today.

It said that changes this year, made in order to take into account disruption to teaching and learning during the pandemic, had ‘added more complexity to the process’ and that without full information they are unable to award students their results.

And a headteachers’ union said mitigations should be put in place again for 2023’s GCSE exams.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said next year’s cohort will also have been ‘heavily impacted’ by the pandemic, and warned of potentially being further affected by any future infections during autumn and winter.

ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton said: ‘Moving to this midpoint was done to give these pupils more leeway than directly returning to the 2019 standard in order to mitigate the impact of Covid on their education. Adaptations were also made to exams for this reason.

‘The Government and Ofqual will now need to decide whether to put mitigations in place for next year.

‘The strong indication we are hearing from school and college leaders is that this must happen because next year’s cohort will have also been heavily impacted by Covid.

‘This is particularly important given the likelihood of more waves of infections during the autumn and winter.’

Schools minister Will Quince said today that overall grades for GCSEs are expected to be lower than in 2020 and 2021, but ‘that’s very much part of the plan’.

He told Sky News: ‘The results will be out very, very soon, but I think the first thing is that today is a celebration of all those young people’s achievements and efforts over the course of the past two years.

‘So, today’s about saying a huge well done, and a huge thank you to all of the teachers and the school leaders, and of course parents and carers that have supported young people to get those results. And you know, wish them every success with what they’re going to do next.’

Asked whether their grades are going to be lower, Mr Quince said: ‘So, yeah, they are and that’s very much part of the plan. Over the last couple of years, we have had teachers assess grades, we have gone back for the first time to examinations.’

He added: ‘We recognise the fact that young people have faced huge disruption of the past couple of years, so there have been adaptations in place and Ofqual have reflected in their marking and grading.’

He also said that closing the attainment gap is a ‘huge priority’ for the Government.

Every region in England saw a fall in the proportion of pupils getting a 7/A or above. 

Asked on Times Radio about GCSE regional disparities because of Covid-19, Mr Quince said: ‘It’s a huge priority. Ensuring that wherever you live up and down our country that you have access to a world-class education, and you have the same opportunity – whether you live in Bournemouth or Barnsley – is really important to us, and every year up until the pandemic we’ve been closing the attainment gap.’

He added: ‘The pandemic has without question set us back on that mission. But to say that I am back on that with gusto would be an understatement.

‘It is my mission as schools minister to ensure that wherever you live in our country, that you have that same level of opportunity.’

But Labour said the country is likely to see regional disparities in GCSE results because the Government has ‘failed’ children.

Asked on Sky News about possible reasons for disparities, shadow education minister Stephen Morgan said: ‘Because the Government failed children and the children recovery plan hasn’t actually made a real difference across the country.’

He added: ‘Most ministers don’t seem to be able to describe what levelling up means. And what we are seeing is a failure of Government investment across the country. That’s why our plan would make a real difference…

‘And look at the BTec results last week – there are young people that still don’t have results from Level Three. We have heard that the Level Two results won’t be out today, either.’

Also today, Labour said the Conservatives had left a ‘legacy of unequal outcomes’ holding back children and communities – as it accused successive Tory governments of ‘failing our children’ and pointed to regional disparities in results. 

Statistics show that last year fewer than four in 10 students in Knowsley, in the North West, achieved a pass in English and maths – more than 20 percentage points lower than the national average.

Labour cited this as being in contrast to other areas including Trafford in Greater Manchester, Kingston-upon-Thames in south-west London, and Buckinghamshire, where some seven in 10 young people got a pass in both subjects.

Following the publication of A-level results last week, social mobility charity The Sutton Trust said regional gaps are growing and the differences in levels of achievement at private schools compared with state schools and colleges are still above 2019 levels.

Mr Morgan said: ‘Young people receiving results have worked incredibly hard, but 12 years of Conservative governments has left a legacy of unequal outcomes that are holding back kids and holding back communities.

‘As we head into results day, every child should know that they are supported by a Government which believes in them and their ability to succeed, but sadly that’s simply not the case. The Conservatives are failing our children.

‘Labour is ambitious for every child. We would end tax breaks for private schools and invest in thousands of new teachers, to give every child the brilliant teaching and school experience they need to achieve and thrive.’

And the Liberal Democrats said the Government deserves an ‘F’ for letting down pupils, parents and teachers in the pandemic.

The party’s education spokesman Munira Wilson said the Tories had ‘failed our young people yet again’.

She said: ‘Young people receiving their results today faced unprecedented disruption to their studies. The Government deserves an ‘F’ for letting down these pupils, their parents and their teachers since day one of the pandemic.

‘This uncaring Conservative carousel of education secretaries cannot be trusted with our young people’s future any longer.

‘We need proper investment in helping children recover lost learning from the pandemic, and we need them gone.’

Education expert Alan Smithers has predicted that, in line with the move back towards pre-pandemic grading, there could be some 230,000 fewer top grades in the UK compared with 2021, but 230,000 more than 2019.

Mr Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said he expects top grades to fall, with more pupils failing and a slight narrowing of the girls’ lead over boys.

The ASCL said results out this week are likely to be ‘uneven’ across different schools and areas, and reflect the ‘turbulent circumstances’ of the pandemic.

Its general secretary Mr Barton appealed to schools watchdog Ofsted to bear these factors in mind.

He said: ‘Schools and pupils have been affected to varying extents by the pandemic and the consequent disruption to learning, and it is likely that results will reflect these turbulent circumstances and will be uneven.

‘Where infection rates have been high across the last two years, it is likely to have resulted in more staff and pupil absence, in addition to the periods in which schools were closed to most pupils.

‘Despite the best efforts of schools to support pupils with remote education and to plug learning gaps, this situation will inevitably have had an impact on learning.

‘Schools have not been helped by the Government’s lacklustre and chaotic support for education recovery.

‘It is important to understand this year’s results at school and pupil level in this context and we would urge Ofsted and Regional Schools Commissioners in particular not to rush to judgments.’

A spokesman for Ofsted said: ‘We do not base our judgments on exam results, test scores or other data.

‘We use data, in context, as a starting point for our discussions with school leaders about what they are teaching children and how they are running their school.’

A spokesman for the Department for Education (DfE) said: ‘We have set out a range of measures to help level up education across England, including targeted support both for individual pupils who fall behind and whole areas of the country where standards are weakest.

‘This is alongside £5billion to help young people to recover from the impact of the pandemic, including £1.5billion for tutoring programmes.

‘Pupil Premium funding is also increasing to more than £2.6billion in 2022/23, whilst an additional £1billion is allowing us to extend the Recovery Premium for the next two academic years – funding which schools can use to offer targeted academic and emotional support to disadvantaged pupils.’

Meanwhile, results could be recorded for non-binary pupils rather than just girls and boys in future exam breakdowns. 

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), a membership organisation comprising the eight largest providers of qualifications in the UK, said it is ‘looking at this’ possibility for future data on results.

When results are published, data is given on the performance of girls and boys, enabling comparisons to be made.

A-level results, out last week, showed that boys were narrowing the lead held by girls when it came to the top grades.

A spokesman for the JCQ said: ‘The JCQ tables currently include breakdowns by male and female gender types.

‘JCQ and its member awarding organisations do not collect the data required to include breakdowns for non-binary candidates. However, we will be looking at this in the future.’

Dr Jo Saxton, Ofqual’s chief regulator, said the results are ‘a testament to students’ hard work and resilience’.

She said on her visits to colleges and schools across England ‘the overwhelming message’ from students and staff was that they wanted exams and formal assessments to take place, with pupils keen for ‘a chance to prove themselves’.

Exam board Pearson said it had consulted with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall and has ‘started the process’ of updating its systems to collect data for non-binary students.

A spokesman said: ‘As a Stonewall Top 100 employer, Pearson works with Stonewall on a range of matters including how data might be collected for non-binary learners.

‘We are pleased to share that we have started the process of updating our systems to enable this – and we commit to consulting with key stakeholders to demonstrate our continued support for the non-binary community.’

Separately, a charity warned that deaf children are being failed by an education system that has seen them achieve an entire grade less at GCSE for five years in a row.

The National Deaf Children’s Society said young people with hearing difficulties are not being supported properly and are therefore suffering when it comes to learning and exams.

The charity said its analysis of 2021 results showed that deaf children achieved a grade 4 on average, compared with a grade 5 for all children.

In looking at the average Attainment 8 scores – which measure the achievement of a pupil across eight different subjects – it said there had been a full grade difference each year dating back to 2017 between deaf children and the higher grade achieved on average by all children.

There are more than 50,000 deaf children in the UK, of whom about 45,000 are in England, according to the society.

The charity said that DfE data shows attainment gaps in key subject areas including English and maths, with just over a third (37.7 per cent) of deaf children getting a grade 5 in both these subjects, compared with more than half (51.9 per cent) of all children.

The society has urged the Government to use its review of how children with special educational needs and disabilities are supported in schools to ‘develop a plan to provide effective, long-term specialist support for deaf children in schools’.

It is also urging the Government to invest in more specially qualified teachers of the deaf, whose numbers it said research has shown have fallen by almost a fifth (17 per cent) over the last decade, as well as other specialist staff.

Mike Hobday, director of policy and campaigns at the charity, said the results disparity is ‘yet further proof that our education system is consistently failing deaf children’.

He said: ‘The current set-up is simply not fit for purpose and, without targeted investment in Teachers of the deaf and other frontline staff, nothing will change.

‘Deafness isn’t a learning disability and there’s no reason why deaf children should achieve less than hearing children. The issue is clearly a lack of support. This needs to be a serious wake-up call for anyone working in deaf education.

‘If the Government fails to act during the Send (special educational needs and disability) review, generation after generation of deaf children will keep being let down by a system that is meant to support them.’

A spokesman for the DfE said: ‘All children and young people, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, should receive the support they need to succeed in their education.

‘There is a legal requirement for qualified teachers to hold relevant mandatory qualifications when teaching classes of pupils who have a sensory impairment.

‘Our Send and alternative provision green paper proposals will build on this support, aiming to change the culture and practice in mainstream education to be more inclusive. 

‘This includes through earlier intervention, improved targeted support and better workforce training.’