The proportion of GCSE resit students who achieved the crucial grade 4 pass that means they do not have to resit the qualification again has risen in both English and maths, figures from JCQ show.

A third of students aged over 16 gained at least a grade 4 in GCSE maths, significantly more than last year, where the figure stood at 22.3 per cent. And in English, 41.1 per cent of post-16 students gained at least a grade 4 in GCSE English, a rise of over 9 percentage points on 2019, which saw 31.9 per cent of resit students achieve that benchmark. 

This year, all GCSE results have been calculated differently due to exams being cancelled. After a U-turn from the government on Monday, students today received centre-assessed grades – unless these were lower than the grades they would have received had statistically moderated grades been applied as originally planned.

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The proportion of students aged over 16 who achieved a grade 4 or better remained significantly lower than the proportion across all age groups – where it was 66.6 per cent in maths and 71.2 per cent in English. 

There were 168,850 entries from post-16 students in English this year, as well as 177,183 in maths. Of them, 69,398 and 58,949 achieved at least a grade 4, respectively. 

'Due to the hard work of students and staff'

Speaking to Tes yesterday, NCG's executive principal Grant Glendinning said that a likely rise in grade 4s was due to the way English and maths had been delivered in colleges this year.

He said: "I think that some of that will be down to improvement and step change in the way that potentially English and maths is being delivered this year, in particular. Colleges have been throwing great expertise, thought and resources at trying to make improvements in this area.

"Yes, some of it could be due to grade creep, but equally I would hope lots of it was due to the hard work of students and colleagues in colleges that are trying to improve this."

Jonny Kay, head of English and maths at Tyne Coast College, said that staff at the college had tried a lot of new initiatives to improve the GCSE resit results.

He said: "We did expect from November, December onwards that we would have more 4s this year. Nationally, I think it is a credit to the hard work that teachers and leaders have put in. I don't think it represents any sort of inflation. I think it is an absolute testament to the hard work that everybody's pulling."

Association of Colleges chief executive David Hughes said: “It has been wonderful to see hundreds of thousands of young people receiving their GCSE grades today after months of uncertainty. Most students will now be able to look forward to moving onto their next steps after days of worry, but we know there are still too many students without that certainty.

"We continue to work with awarding organisations and the government to ensure they get their BTEC results as soon as possible so that they too can move on. No other year has been as turbulent as this one, and its thanks to the excellent teachers and staff in colleges and schools that students have succeeded and will able to take their next steps, whatever they choose to do.

"Results this year look different and so course choices for many may be different too. With an increase in top grades and passes, it is likely that more students than ever will progress to level 3 vocational courses or A levels. At the same time there may be fewer apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers because of the pressures in the labour market. Colleges are ready to meet the needs and can provide advice and support for students to make their choices. After so many months out of education some young people will be anxious about their next steps, particularly year 11s who might not have had the same opportunities to attend physical open days. There is no need to panic for anyone unsure what to do, or for those awaiting grades. Colleges will be able to meet their needs and there will be space for everyone."

Mr Hughes added colleges may see an increase in the number of students applying, "but we are certain there is capacity in the system to get students onto the right course for them". "What is needed now is concerted support from the government to ensure colleges have the confidence that they will be funded to meet the demand so that they can teach and deliver the high quality education and training for young people and adults we want to see across the country.”