The disadvantage gap widened in this summer’s GCSE results after narrowing the year before through the grades awarded by schools, official figures published today show. 

New data from the Department for Education has revealed that the 2021 GCSE results - when teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) were awarded - saw a wider attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers than when centre-assessed grades (CAGs) were used the year before.

Both cohorts saw exams cancelled because of the Covid crisis.

The new performance data outlines the changing grade profile of GCSE and A level cohorts during the pandemic. Here are the key points: 

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1. The attainment gap widened when TAGs were used

The disadvantaged gap index had narrowed from 2018-19 to 2019-20 - when CAGs were used - but widened again in 2020-21 when teacher-assessed grades were awarded.

In 2021, 26.4 per cent of GCSE pupils were recorded as disadvantaged compared with 26 per cent in 2019-20 and 26.5 per cent of pupils in 2018-19. 

“In terms of the disadvantaged gap index, it has widened to 3.79 in 2021 compared with 3.66 in 2019-20 and 3.7 in 2018-19,” the data says.

“The widening of the disadvantaged gap index may reflect the difficult circumstances that many pupils will have experienced over the last academic year which saw various restrictions put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic (eg, periods of lockdowns and tiers) that resulted in restricted attendance to schools and periods of home learning.”

2. Fewer pupils entered the EBacc for TAGs

When teacher-assessed grades were awarded following the cancellation of public exams in 2021, 38.7 per cent of GCSE pupils were entered for the English Baccalaureate, a decrease of 1.3 per cent on 2018-19, the last year when full public exams were held.

The government previously said it wanted to see 75 per cent of pupils studying the EBacc subject combination by 2022.

This was the second year in a row where the EBacc entry rate has fallen.

Pupils with higher prior attainment were more likely to enter all five EBacc components.

3. Significant increase in proportion of “good passes” 

The proportion of pupils achieving a “good pass” in GCSE maths and English rose by 8.7 percentage points since 2018-19, with 51.9 per cent of pupils awarded a grade 5 or above in maths and English GCSEs compared with 43.2 per cent pre-pandemic.

4. Attainment 8 went up

As a result of higher GCSE grades across the board in 2020-21, both average Attainment 8 and EBacc APS - a measure of pupils’ point scores across the five pillars of the EBacc - went up. 

The average Attainment 8 score increased by 4.2 points from 46.7 to 50.9 and the EBacc APS increased by 0.38 points from 4.07 to 4.45.

5. The proportion of A/7 grades and above increased on 2019-20 and 2018-19

The percentage of GCSE entries graded at 7 and above was 30.0 per cent, an increase of 2.5 per cent compared with 2019-20 (27.5 per cent), and an 8.2 percentage point increase on the equivalent 2018-19 figure (21.8 per cent).

6. At A level, the average result rose to a B

In 2020-21, the average A level result awarded under TAGs was a B, compared with a C+ in 2018-19.

The total point score increased from 33.77 points to 41.60 UCAS points. All school types saw large increases in average A level points since 2018-19, with the largest increase seen in “other FE sector” colleges (8.8 points)

7. Girls improved more than boys at A level

Overall, in 2020-21 both boys and girls were more likely to be awarded the highest A level grades of A*, A or B than in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Larger gains were seen for girls, continuing a trend seen in 2019-20, where a higher proportion of girls were awarded the top A* and A*-A grades.

“This is also a reversal of the gender gap in achievement at these grades seen in 2017-18 and 2018-19,” the data says.

Girls’ attainment at top A* and A*-A grades increased more than it did for boys across all STEM subjects between 2018-19 and 2020-21.

In 2020-21 chemistry was the only STEM subject where boys were still more likely to achieve grade A*, while girls were more likely to achieve A*-A and A*-B across every STEM subject.

8. At A level, the disadvantage gap narrowed

The data shows that the increase in average A level points was slightly larger for disadvantaged students between 2018-19 and 2020-21.

“Consequently, the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students has narrowed slightly over the last two years.  

“Overall, disadvantaged A level students achieved an average result of approximately half a grade lower than their non-disadvantaged peers in 2020-21 (similar to 2018-19).”