Boys Performing Better In Exams

Boys catching up with girls in GCSE exam performance due to former Education Secretary Michael Gove’s exam reforms.

09:29 21 August 2015

Figures have confirmed that boys are closing the gap with girls in GCSE performance after the Government scrapped coursework. For the past two decades, girls have been dominating the exam that relied on coursework when it was first introduced.

 

This year, 64.7per cent of boys obtained A* to C grade passes, up from 64.3pre cent in 2014.

 

Head teachers said that the improvement can be attributed to former Education Secretary Michael Gove’s exam reforms. He ushered in a switch away from marked coursework towards a reliance on the end-of-course exam.

 

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Boys’ underachievement has tended to be because they do things at the last minute.”

 

“We need now to make sure girls don’t under-achieve in the next phase of GCSEs.”

 

Overall, the results showed an increase of top grade A* to C grade passes with almost seven out of 10 entries awarded at least a C grade. Meanwhile, the number of students taking science subjects increased by 3.8per cent. There was a 0.5per cent drop in the number of A* grades in English. In maths, the number of students getting at least a C grade pass increased by 3.7per cent.