Pass rates in GCSE English language and Maths have faced a substantial decline in 2024, with the West Midlands being the place that has suffered this decline the most at a staggering 10% lower pass rate than London.
Many grades were surprisingly lower than what students with high target grades were expecting; this correlates with the decrease of passes from the previous year, with only just under 60% of people passing Maths in 2024. This led to many students requesting for their papers to be re-marked by examiners, hoping for their grade to improve. However, results from the re-marks compared to the initial grades achieved was astonishing and therefore perhaps questionable.
Numerous centres reported huge increases in grades across subjects but mostly in Drama and English on the AQA exam board. Some students’ grades in English literature AQA, for example, went from a grade 6 to a 9 and marks awarded were doubled. This unbelievable increase led to a rise in doubt of not only how carefully the papers were marked by the examiners but also the examiners’ experience in marking was questioned too.
Teachers and students alike were outraged not only at the unreliability of these grades -since they play such a crucial part in a student’s future - but also because of the costly amount you had to pay in order to get your paper re-marked. This begs the question - were these results fair or were they just fair for the people that could afford them to be?
The stats in this article have come from the following source:
https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2024/sep/13/unreliable-marking-gcse-english
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