This summer’s GCSE results showed an overall UK decline in A*-C grades of 2.1% to 66.9%.

Whilst the increasing numbers of post-16 students re-taking English and Maths GCSEs accounts for some of this decline (in general, post 16 students performed less well than 16 year old students), overall results for 16 year olds also saw a drop of 1.3%.

Entries for 16-year-old students increased in the majority of EBacc subjects in summer 2016.  However, results for those students tended to be lower than the previous summer.

Computing saw the biggest percentage increase in entry, up 76% (to 62,454).  Additional Science was also up (by 10.5% to 368,033) along with Geography (up 7% to 244,033).

Decreasing entries were seen for Design and Technology GCSEs, (down 9.5% to 185,279), French (down 8.1% to 144,892) and Art and Design (down 5.9% to 183,085).

The number of entries from 15 year-old students continues to decline. 

This year’s GCSE results mark the end of all GCSEs being graded A* to G ahead of the awarding of the first phase of reformed 9-1 graded GCSEs in 2017.