Highgate’s 166 Year 11 pupils sat 1,631 GCSE exams, many of which were the reformed GCSEs which have an additional top grade above A*, a grade 9; 47% of entries were graded numerically and 53% graded by letter.
Of all GCSE results 73.7% of all entries were graded either A* or 8/9, the new numeric equivalents to an A*, and 92.2% were graded either A or A* (or grade 7 – 9). Of the reformed GCSEs (numeric grades), 75.2% were grade 8 or 9; 48.2% were grade 9. Of the letter grades, 72.3% were A*.
25% of pupils were awarded with ten A* (the maximum sat at Highgate), with a further 24% receiving nine A*, meaning that almost half (or 49%) of candidates had nine A* each. For a full breakdown of results, please see here.
The table below shows how the results sit in the context of recent results received by earlier generations of Year 11 pupils at Highgate.
For a breakdown of results by subject, please click here.
The Head, Adam Pettitt, commented: ‘There’s no doubt that exam changes can heighten anxiety, but our hunch that the reformed GCSEs, with their increased content and more searching tests, would be more closely aligned to what and how we wish to teach, and would avoid the ablest pupils kicking their feet in Year 11, has been accurate. Phew! We are over the moon at these results, and so pleased with and proud of our pupils. It is a relief and a delight to know that GCSEs need no longer be an obstacle to teaching that stretches, challenges and inspires the brightest minds. Well done, Year 11!’
Information on GCSE grading in 2018
The second wave of ‘reformed’ GCSEs has been examined, meaning that in state schools, which must enter pupils for ‘domestic’ GCSEs, the only grades available in English, maths, biology, chemistry, physics, combined science, geography, history, art, computer science, French, German, Spanish, Greek, drama, music and religious studies, are numeric (grades 1 – 9, with grade 4 equating to a C, 5 to a B, 6 to an A, 8 to an A* and a new grade, 9 which equates to a top A*). IGCSEs have not all changed and, confusingly, some have adopted numeric grades and others haven’t. At Highgate pupils sat IGCSEs in English literature, biology, chemistry, physics, combined science, history, computer science, music and languages; our pupils thus have a mixture of numeric and letter grades.
Subjects with numeric grades at Highgate this year are: art, English language and literature, geography, maths, music and religious studies; because of the way options work the maximum number of numeric grades a pupil could have at Highgate this year is six.
The totals of A*/ 8-9 grades were identical at Highgate: in numeric GCSEs, 75.2% were 8 or 9 and 91.5% were 7 – 9; in letter GCSEs, the totals were 72.3% and 92.7% respectively. 47% of entries were numeric and of these 48.2% were grade 9.
For the Head’s blog on results day, see here.
