Girls appear to benefit from more rigorous GCSEs
As pupils across the country collect their GCSE results, early indications suggest that the introduction of more rigorous GCSE courses appears to have benefited girls more than boys.
Data shows that more than one in four exam entries by girls received top grades of A, or 7, and above in this summer’s exams in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is compared to just 18.6 per cent of entries by 16-year-old boys who achieved the same grades.
The success of girls was most evident in subjects such as physics and maths, where girls have narrowed the gap in results previously enjoyed by boys at age 16.
Reports claim that girls won the majority of the coveted top 9 grade in England. with 5.2 per cent of female entries gaining the grade that replaced the top tier of the previous A* grade, compared with 3.7 per cent of boys and a combined rate of 4.5 per cent. Just below that, 13.1 per cent of girls gained a level 8, compared with 9.4 per cent of boys.
The improved results follow last week’s A-level results, which revealed that more girls than boys entered science subjects for the first time, following ongoing effort to increase the involvement of women in studying STEM subjects.
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