CaSE responds to GCSE Results Day 2016

CaSE responds to the 2016 GCSE results.

Commenting on today’s GCSE results, Deputy Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), Naomi Weir said:

“Today’s results are a mixed picture. It is great to see more people taking science subjects due to the future options that they can open up for individuals. However the results are also a reminder of the challenges teachers and pupils alike have in responding to and successfully navigating extensive and fast paced change in courses, assessment, and monitoring.

I sincerely hope that the new government will ensure that future education policy direction or change will be robustly evidence based, will be done in partnership with those most affected and will be carefully implemented with sufficient time built in for transition. There is too much at stake to do otherwise.”

NOTES

1. This year 41.6% of total GCSE entries were in STEM subjects, up from 40.6% last year.  51.2% of STEM entries were boys, whilst 48.8% were girls. When considering just students aged 16, science and maths entries rose 6.3%.

2. The STEM subject with the biggest rise in popularity was Computing, with entries rising 76.4%, from 35,414 to 62,454.

3. There was an overall decline in A*-C grades for science subjects.

4. Entries to Mathematics for 17 year olds rose significantly due to Government policy making 17 year olds resit unless they obtain a C grade, causing an overall decline of 2.3% in A*-C grades award. However, 16 year olds achieving A*-C grades rose 1.4%