This year’s GCSE students have had a turbulent time throughout secondary school.
The pandemic and associated school closures started during their year 8, with continuing disruption throughout year 9.
And their GCSE years have been far from a return to normality, with high rates of persistent absences, and the ongoing impact of the cost of living crisis – issues which have all impacted the poorest students the most heavily.
This year, as with A level exams, Ofqual have aimed to move back to the pre-pandemic grading standard, which required a large fall in grades compared to 2022. The system they put in place does have some protections for overall falls in attainment for the cohort, but cannot take into account individual level learning loss.
Last year, the first where grades moved back towards 2019’s standard, the attainment gap at GCSE between poorer students (those eligible for free school meals) and their better-off peers widening to a level not seen since 2011.
We won’t have an update on the attainment gap for a few more months, but last week gave us some initial data on differences by school type and region. Together, they give a mixed picture of the potential impact of this year’s results on future social mobility.
