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CaSE responds to GCSE results out today

23 Aug 2018

CaSE responds to the 2018 GCSE results, welcoming reforms made to science GCSEs

Commenting on today’s GCSE results, Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), Dr Sarah Main said:

“Congratulations to all students on their results today. 

As science and technology shape society and jobs for the future, I hope that young people will be encouraged and equipped to pursue scientific learning amongst the wealth of options available to them. It will pay dividends for them personally and for the UK as scientific thinking and technological capability are set to become increasingly important across all parts of the economy.”

Commenting on the new double award science and removal of other routes to take science at GCSE, Deputy Director Naomi Weir said:

“I’m relieved and pleased to see the simplification of the qualifications landscape for science in England and Wales. It was overly complex. Reducing the number of routes through which to study science at GCSE should make it easier for schools, teachers, parents and students to understand their options and enable young people to get on with exploring the world around them though science.”

Contact the Campaign for Science and Engineering for further details; 020 7679 4994

ENDS

NOTES

1. This year 40.7% of total GCSE entries were in STEM subjects, up from 37.9% last year. 51.5% of STEM entries were boys, whilst 48.5% were girls.

2. The new Double Award Science GCSE in England and Wales has largely replaced Science, Additional Science and Further Additional Science GCSEs. Students successfully studying for Double Award Science will receive two GCSE qualifications.

3. GCSEs in England are being reformed and will be graded on a new scale from 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest grade. Regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland are not introducing the new 9 to 1 grading scale as part of the changes to GCSEs in their jurisdictions. New GCSE qualifications will be more challenging, and fewer Grade 9’s will be awarded than A*. Awards in Double Award Science will be given as 9-9, 9-8, 8-8 down to 1-1 in England, and A*-A*, A*-A down to G-G in Wales.

4. Among the 20 reformed GCSE subjects this year, broadly the same proportion of students will get grades 1, 4 and 7 and above as would have got grades G, C and A and above respectively in the old system.

Read our comment piece on 2018 GCSE results

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