Exam Results

Part of my job as deputy head was to analyse exam results. I arrived in 1993, when national interest in League tables and progress measures was just starting to take hold. Of course computing power was also increasing and spreadsheets and graph drawing programs had been around for a couple of years - possibly this was the cause of the added interest in results - it became possible to do the analysis in a much easier and consistent way. When I arrived at Malton, most results were recorded by hand on paper, probably reflecting normal practice in most schools at the time.

Whatever the reasons for change, detailed results exist from 1993, and a couple of years before, as I did a little retrospective work.

Further back in time results reporting varied. What I have uncovered is reported below. It ranged from pass rates, occasionally the number of A grades, pre-1971 often the number of school certificates, and sometimes a comment in a Head's reoprt - "good", "satisfactory", "good - probably the best on record"

People now talk of GCSE and A level exams being "too easy" - for some reason our society does not like success. Imagine harking back to "the good old days" of O level, as educaiton minister Michael Gove has done, where only a third of students at a rural comprehensive were getting 4 O level passes, compared with 89% gaining five or more in 2013. I know which culture I prefer.

As well as lists of figures, from around 2000 results days became good newspaper fodder, with the press anxious to capture smiling faces on the day, so we have press releases and usually photographs from the August A level and GCSE results release days (always Thursdays).

Prospectus summary of results for last 10 years (2004-2013)

GCSE results 1991-present day

A level results 1990-present day

O-level, A level and CSE 1971-1989

1987 O level and A level comparison with Grammar School results (by John Gresswell in defence of performance).

pre-1971 summary

A level results days and press releases: 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2105

GCSE results days and press releases: 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2105