General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieved five A* to C grades in 2007, excluding equivalents. (169125)

The percentage of pupils in maintained schools who achieved 5 A* to C grades in the academic year 2006/07, excluding equivalents, is 51.9 per cent. If GCSE short courses and GCSEs in vocational subjects are included, this figure increases to 53.9 per cent.

This figure relates to pupils who were 15-years-old at the start of the academic year, i.e. on 31 August 2006. It includes any attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.

The 2006/07 data are provisional. Schools are given the opportunity to amend their results as part of the data checking exercise before the revised data is published in January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many pupils eligible for free school meals achieved five A* to C grades in English, mathematics, science and a modern foreign language in the latest period for which figures are available; (169126)

(2) how many and what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals studied for a modern foreign language at GCSE in the latest period for which figures are available;

(3) how many and what proportion of the pupils who achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE gained English, mathematics, science and a modern foreign language GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available.

The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils studied (a) history, (b) geography and (c) a modern language GCSE in each year since 1997. (169128)

The available information is given in the table.

*Number of 15-year-old pupils’*¹ *entered for a GCSE in specific subjects in all schools, 1997 to 2007*
	History	Geography	Modern foreign language
1997	207,486	259,809	432,459
1998	189,070	235,908	444,704
1999	188,934	229,802	455,385
2000	190,279	217,087	459,379
2001	195,231	220,378	473,393
2002	193,945	208,274	461,359
2003	194,801	200,127	453,914
2004	205,539	197,123	437,214
2005	202,591	186,706	372,704
2006	206,517	184,978	324,703
2007²	202,781	183,304	299,174
¹ Those pupils aged 15 at 31 August at the start of the academic year. ² Provisional

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils studied for (a) 14, (b) 15, (c) 16, (d) 17 and (e) 18 or more GCSEs in each of the last three years. (169130)

The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the proportion of male pupils eligible for free school meals obtained 5 A* to C GCSE grades including English and mathematics in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by ethnicity. (169140)

The available information has been placed in the Library. The figures have been taken from the Statistical First Release ‘National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005/06 (Provisional)’ which is available at:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/index.shtml.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils achieving combined Level 4 at key stage 2 reading, writing and mathematics tests in each year between 1997 and 2002 subsequently went on to achieve five GCSEs at A* to C. (169142)

The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils in each London borough achieved more than five A* to C grades at GCSE in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. (169238)

The available information has been placed in the Library.

Volume 469: debated on Tuesday 11 December 2007