Skip to main content

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standards

Volume 469: debated on Tuesday 11 December 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils gained (a) no GCSEs and (b) fewer that five A* to G grades including English and mathematics at GCSE in each year since 1999. (171159)

Information on the percentages who achieve at least five or more A*-G at GCSE and equivalent, including English and maths GCSE and the percentages who achieve any qualification is in the following table and in table 1 of SFR 34/2007 ‘GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2006/07 (Provisional)’

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000754/index.shtml

The underlying numbers can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Time series of GCSE and equivalent attempts and achievements in all schools, years: 1995/96 to 2006/071 (provisional)2; coverage: England

Percentage who achieved

Number of pupils3

5+ A*-G grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs

Any passes4

15-year-olds

1995/96

594,035

83.4

92.2

1996/975

586,766

83.9

92.3

1997/98

575,210

83.8

93.4

1998/99

580,972

85.8

94.0

1999/2000

580,393

86.8

94.4

2000/01

603,318

86.9

94.5

2001/02

606,554

87.1

94.6

2002/03

622,122

86.6

94.8

2003/045

643,560

86.7

95.9

2004/05

636,771

86.9

96.4

2005/06

648,942

86.8

96.7

2006/07

656,667

86.1

97.3

Pupils at End Key Stage 4

2004/05

633,414

88.0

97.4

2005/06

645,931

87.8

97.8

2006/07

648,752

87.7

99.1

1 Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years

2 Figures for 2006/07 are provisional, all other figures are final.

3 Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year or from 2004/05 end of Key Stage 4 figures are the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in that academic year

4 From 2003/04 this includes attempts in entry level qualifications which do not contribute towards A*-C or A*-G thresholds

5 Percentages from 1996/97 include GCSEs and GNVQs

6 Percentages from 2003/04 include GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many pupils in maintained schools sat English language, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, a foreign language and history or geography GCSEs in 2007; and how many of them achieved A* to C grades in all of these subjects; (171160)

(2) how many pupils in maintained schools sat English language, English literature, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, a foreign language, history and geography GCSEs in 2007; and how many achieved A* to C grades in all of these subjects.

The information in the following table provides figures for pupils in all schools. Figures for maintained schools can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE attempts and achievements in selected subjects of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in schools (numbers): Years: 2006/07 (provisional): coverage: England

Thousand

Number attempted

Number achieved A*-C

English

618.3

389.5

Mathematics

617.0

354.1

Physics

53.6

46.9

Chemistry

51.0

46.8

Biological Sciences

54.1

48.7

Geography

185.0

123.4

History

204.2

136.9

Any Modern Language

301.4

200.2

English Literature

522.2

359.7

This information can be found in table 7 of SFR 34/2007 ‘GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2006/07 (Provisional)’

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000754/index.shtml

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which 20 English schools achieved the lowest GCSE success rates in the latest available year on the basis of (a) five A*-C at GCSE and (b) five A*-C at GCSE, including English and mathematics, and what the (i) local authority and (ii) school type was of each; and if he will make a statement. (172502)

The information required is in the Library, in the Schools and Colleges Achievement and Attainment Tables.

Data for the academic year 2006/07 are not yet published. They will be available from the Library in January 2008.