The government has once again been called upon to change its GCSE resits policy after results showed a drop in the numbers of older students getting the grade 4 or above they need.
Figures released by the Joint Council for Qualifications on GCSE results day showed a drop in the numbers of resitters achieving a grade 4 "standard" pass.
There was a 14.3 percentage point drop in the proportion of learners aged 17 or older getting a grade 4 in maths compared with last year, and 2.4 percentage point drop in English language.
However, the figures may have been affected by a significant increase in the number of entries for the reformed 9-1 GCSEs this year, after the scrapping of the legacy versions of the qualifications in these subjects. In maths, the number of entries in the reformed qualification rose from 30,408 in 2017 to 161,139 this year. In English, entries rose from 88,406 in 2017 to 148,986 this summer.
'Massive' rise in entries
Alex Scharaschkin, director of research and compliance at exam board AQA, said the particularly large drop in maths could be down to the significant increase in the numbers of older students taking the new 9-1 GCSE.
“What that reflects, as you see with the entries, is a massive rise in the 17-plus entries – up over 400 per cent," he said. "The 17-year-olds this year who are resitting GCSEs are resitting the 9-1 papers. Last year there weren’t very many who did the 9-1 paper, so they were atypical of this cohort, and we would expect future cohorts to be more like the picture you see here, with a big 17-year-old entry.”
Under the condition of funding rules, those who get a grade 3 in GCSE English language or maths at school must resit their exams at college or sixth form until they get a grade 4.
Overall, more than 36,000 students aged 17 and over achieved a grade 4 or better in maths, with more than 49,000 achieving a 4 or above in English.
‘A miserable experience’
Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, renewed his calls for the government to change its policy on GCSE resits.
“[There is] yet another whole cohort of learners going through a miserable experience with no benefit," he said.
“Once again, I would say to the government they must change this really damaging policy for the sake of learners.
“In maths, the learner isn’t getting the skills they need. The grade 4 pass mark [in higher tier papers] is around 20 per cent. Is that an acceptable achievement level? It is just all wrong.”
‘The policy does not work’
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Colleges will continue to face the English and maths challenge while the government insists on all 16- to 18-year-old students who haven’t achieved a grade 4 at GCSE resitting the exam. After five years of putting students through GCSE resits, colleges can confirm that the policy does not work and is an obstacle to the ambition that we all share for students.
"English and maths are crucial skills but teachers should be able to use professional judgement to decide on the most appropriate qualification for everyone."
