Royal Society response to GCSE and vocational results

Responding to the publication of GCSE and Level 1 and 2 vocational results, Professor Jane Clarke FRS, Chair of the Royal Society Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, said:

Congratulations to everyone receiving their results today. You should feel very proud of what you have achieved, and especially having done so in such exceptionally high temperatures.

Resits remain an issue that must be urgently addressed. While there were more students resitting maths compared to last year (+5.8%), the proportion of these students achieving a “standard pass” was lower (16.5%). A similar pattern can be seen in English language resits. This is a systemic problem with policy on resits that has an incredibly negative impact on students’ confidence and wellbeing. The Education Secretary appears to be taking this seriously, which is reassuring.

There has been a further shift away from triple and towards double science entries. Under the current system, the increasing number of combined science entries risks reducing the pool of potential A level science candidates and those who may want to pursue a STEM pathway. The Royal Society strongly supports a single route through the sciences at GCSE, moving away from the current system of multiple qualification pathways which often only offer an illusion of choice and which create inequitable access to science. A single science route at GCSE would allow every student the same opportunity and create equity in progression pathways to study the sciences beyond GCSE.

We have also seen a huge drop in students choosing to study computing GCSE (-7%), with a prevailing gender gap among those studying the subject of 77% boys vs 23% girls. As AI infiltrates so many areas of life and work, we need to ensure that all students and their teachers have access to relevant digital skills to engage with AI effectively, responsibly and ethically. A recent survey by the Royal Society through Teacher Tapp showed that teachers lack the confidence to engage students in discussion about AI and its implications. Guidance on AI should be embedded into wider curriculum design as well as teacher education and professional development.

We hope the new computing curriculum, due to be introduced from 2027, will help to reverse this pattern and engage more young women with these important competences.

It is encouraging that the trend of increasing entries for GCSE Statistics has continued and that the gender balance is relatively even. However, we would like to see opportunities for greater understanding of data and statistics available to all pupils through curriculum reform, as we described in ‘A new approach to mathematical and data education’.

The regional disparities in GCSE grades are a serious concern. We know that expert teachers make an enormous difference to student attainment and that schools in areas with high levels of disadvantage struggle with recruitment and training. More investment is needed to ensure all teachers have access to high quality subject specific professional development.