To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in England achieved 5 A*-C grades at GCSE excluding (a) equivalents and (b) Applied GCSE Double Awards in the last year for which figures are available. (106225)

Provisional 2006 figures show that51.9 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4¹ achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE only.53.9 per cent. of the same pupils achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalents excluding Vocational GCSE Double Awards.

¹ Pupils in Key Stage 4 in the 2005/06 academic year.