The proportion of the highest GCSE grades awarded in England this year has jumped by 26% according to figures released by the regulator Ofqual. This appears following the government’s decision to scrap calculated grades and replace them with school-assessed grades in most cases in the A-levels results. Now, the proportion awarded of grades 7, 8 and 9 – equivalent to the old A and A* grades – awarded to Year 11 pupils rose from 21.9% last year to 27.6% this year.
Academics and schools have warned that this was the ‘most difficult year’ for all students taking public exams. But it has ended on a positive note for quite a few students
Despite not having the fortune to sit their summer exams, strong results across the cohort of 120 pupils from John Lyons School has led to a record 15% of the year group attaining a coveted academic scholarship to the John Lyon Sixth Form.
Harsh Hingorani achieved a clean-sweep excelling in all ten subjects to achieve 9s. A true all-rounder who spends much of his time in Music and Drama, and with numerous extra-curricular interests. On his results he said, “Two extensive, painstaking years of diligent and scrupulous work has finally paid off for me in the best way I could possibly imagine. My results have stunned me and left me speechless; it was not what I imagined getting in a million years. his nine subjects, Vinay Kapoor also hit straight 9s and will also take up an Academic Scholarship.
“I am very grateful to have had such amazing and understanding teachers, including my form tutor, who were there for me whenever I needed help. It helped a lot to have various distractions from the curriculum, namely my involvement in numerous music-related activities. I can confidently say that this has helped with my ability to think differently and work more conscientiously; it has indirectly helped with my studies in many ways.”
Those gaining straight 9/8 grades are Fares Shehata, Mihir Malde, Vinaykarthik Rachakonda, Anay Gudka, Dhruv Shah, Yusuf Shaikh and Patrick Colson.
Garv Mittal also achieved a 9 in Chemistry and 8s in each of Mathematics, History and Physics. He said, “I will now go to the Sixth Form to studying Physics, Chemistry and Maths. I am thinking of making a career around engineering due to my deep interest in Chemistry. I have been pleased with my results!”
John Lyon Head, Miss Katherine Haynes, said, “Having said it for last week’s A-Level students I must say it again; that this has been the most difficult year for our pupils. However, despite great uncertainty and not having the opportunity to sit their exams, each and every one of them has shown a great resolve to get to where we are today.
“This year’s GCSE results are remarkable. Some of the individual success stories portray the hard work that has been applied over a number of years by our pupils and it is extremely satisfying to see them achieve at such a high level.
“And once again it is satisfying to see that pupils who achieve high marks in the classroom also enjoy their lives outside the academic curriculum. We hope our musicians, artists, sportsmen and actors will continue with these pursuits and passions while studying for their A-Levels."
In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of students who were to get their results for BTec vocational qualifications – at both level two and level three – did not receive them.
