Students suffer GCSE setback

The number of teenagers in Leicestershire achieving top grades in key GCSE subjects has fallen, after rising steadily for several years.

Provisional figures released yesterday showed that the number of pupils gaining at least five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths this summer, had dropped in both the city and the county.


Education bosses said problems over this year's GCSE exam gradings, which had seen some pupils narrowly miss out on expected C grades after some exam boards controversially changed their grade boundaries, had affected results.

Councillor Vi Dempster, Leicester City Council's education spokeswoman, said: "Some schools have improved their performance, while others have been victims of the exam grading in maths, modern foreign languages and English, and many are still appealing against these on behalf of their students."

Teaching unions are now considering legal action against exams regulator Ofqual over the issue.

The figures released yesterday showed that 51 per cent of pupils achieved at least five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, in Leicester this summer, compared to 52.1 per cent the year before – a drop of 1.1 per cent.

In the county, 56.8 per cent achieved the equivalent grades this year, compared to 56.9 per cent previously – a drop of 0.1 per cent.

The drop comes after the figures for both the city and the county had risen steadily for at least the previous six years.

Across England's state schools, an average of 58.4 per cent of students gained at least five A* to C grades including English and maths this summer.

That figure was the same as the previous year, though the number had risen steadily in preceding years.

-  thisisleicestershire.co.uk