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The proportion of students failing to achieve a pass in GCSE maths and English increased across the UK this year, lending further weight to calls to rethink the post-16 curriculum.
Examination results published on Thursday showed that nearly two in five students failed to achieve a grade 4 pass, equivalent to a C, in the core subjects that serve as a gateway to many other qualifications.
The share of English papers graded 4 or above was 61.9 per cent, down from 64.7 per cent last year, said the Joint Council for Qualifications, which speaks for exam boards. The share of maths papers graded 4 or above fell to 59.5 per cent from 61.1 per cent in 2023.
The results also showed continuing regional disparities, with pass rates in the North West and North East more than 7 percentage points below those in London. In the worst-performing region, the West Midlands, the figure was nearly 10 percentage points below London.
Across the UK, the proportion of top grades from 7 to 9, the highest level, declined slightly compared with 2023 but remained above pre-pandemic levels.
The grades reflected a return to standards before the pandemic, with only minor allowances in some subjects such as maths and physics, where candidates were allowed formulae sheets.
The post-16 qualifications landscape was put under review by the new Labour government amid growing concerns that it was failing too many students, especially in maths and English.
Nearly 40 per cent of children failed to achieve grade 4 and above in the core subjects — equivalent to a Grade C or above. Those who failed will have to resit the subjects if they want to fully progress on to further education or technical and vocational training.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has indicated that she is considering changes to the resit policy, with many colleges and educational experts asking for a more flexible system to be introduced.
Announcing the review in July, Phillipson said it would “breathe new life” into an “outdated” curriculum and look to provide “greater access to cultural learning and crucial work and life skills”.
Sam Sims, chief executive of National Numeracy, a charity that promotes maths in everyday life, said the curriculum had “systemic shortcomings” that left hundreds of thousands of young people deeply disadvantaged and needed a “root and branch” overhaul.
“Nowhere is this more evident than the current GCSE maths resit policy, which often prolongs an already deeply negative experience for thousands of young people within a system where, the data shows, the odds are massively stacked against them succeeding,” he added.
Former Labour education secretary Charles Clarke is leading a separate review by exam board OCR into teaching and assessment into the 11-16 curriculum to examine whether children are tested too much.
Clarke said in a statement that many students were already behind the required standard before embarking on GCSE courses.
“It can become an uphill struggle for students to catch up once they fall behind — a problem exacerbated by a curriculum that leaves teachers with little time for anything else,” he added.
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