Hackney GCSE results dip under controversial new exam structure

GCSE results dip in following changes to examinations. Photograph: © comedy_nose (Creative Commons)

Hackney pupils’ GCSE scores have fallen this year, but remain above the national average.

In keeping with the national trend, scores in Hackney dropped by 3.1 per cent. Nationally, results dipped by an average of 4.7 percentage points.

The results come amid controversy over changing exam structure including thousands of vocational subjects being taken out, and only counting a pupil’s first sitting of a GCSE.

In October, Ofqual reported a record number of re-marking requests, and a rise in higher marks issued on appeal. The Guardian reported that even when calculated using last year’s guidelines, results are down.

The percentage of pupils achieving five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths was 58.1 per cent, 2 per cent higher than the national figure of 56.1 per cent.

70.7 per cent of pupils achieved five or more A*-C grades, higher than the national level (65.3 per cent), the London level (70 per cent), and the inner London level (68.2 per cent).

33.8 per cent of Hackney GCSE pupils achieved the English Baccalaureate, ranking the borough 11th highest among all 151 local authorities nationally – again, above national, London and inner-London figures (24 per cent, 29.8 per cent and 27.5 per cent respectively).

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble said: “Hackney’s performance is a credit to our schools and pupils. The slight drop in results in Hackney is significantly less than the national average, and that reflects the hard work of pupils and teachers across the borough.

“I’d like congratulate them again for some excellent results that will give our young people a great start in life.”

Continuing the improvements shown year on year since 2008, for 2014 A-levels and equivalents Hackney attained its highest ever provisional figure for Average Point Score per student with 620.8 – an 11.3 point increase on 2013 (609.5), but below the national figure of 698.5, down from 709.1 in 2013.

Cllr Bramble added: “Our schools and colleges continue to improve and everyone involved should be very proud of this outstanding set of results. I wish them every success for the future.”