A-level results 2017: Boys beat girls to top grades for first time in 17 years amid tougher exams

Boys are beating girls to top A-level grades for the first time in 17 years - with 26.6 per cent of boys achieving coveted A* or A grades compared to just 26.1 per cent of girls. The dramatic reversal of fortunes is thought to be fuelled by the new "tougher" A-levels, which have less coursework and no modules. Girls have outperformed boys every year since 2000.

In the 13 subjects that have a reformed syllabus and course structure - devised by former education secretary Michael Gove in a bid to raise standards - the top grades of girls have drastically declined. The gender gap across all subjects, which sees boys 0.5 points ahead of girls for A* or A grades, has reversed on last year - when girls were 0.3 points ahead of boys.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/08/17/a-level-results-2017-first-rise-top-grades-six-years-despite/

Are they still doing "media studies"?

There should be no 'course work' being counted as part of exam results...!


As none of it can be verified as being the sole work of any one individual student... ie could easily be work from being helped/co-written by parents or private tutor etc, copied off internet or another source etc...


You wouldnt allow anyone to have any 3rd party help in 'exam conditions'...


So why is 'course work' allowed to count towards exam result when it is so open to not being that of the student submitting it...!?

Yes...

And those are still held under proper exam conditions where a designated ref book may be used by ALL... and each candidate is tested on their own individual ability of knowledge and ability to use said ref book... nobody is allowed to have parents/internet in the exam to help do it for them...!!!


They are not even allowed to talk to anyone else during exam... so why should anything done outside these conditions be admissible towards exam result, when anybody else could have created it for them...?

In some subjects coursework is a more realistic way of testing one's ability and knowledge in a subject, in others it should be exams.

Though there should be ways of checking if a student's work is really their own. Traditional exams in subjects like art, history and IT are pretty pointless. Whereas Maths and Science really should be exam based.

I wonder just how Tommy would assess the likes of a woodwork, art, music or cooking student on their progress and achievements, if he banned all reference to their "course work"  ???

Practical assessments under exam condions...


Not allowed to turn up with something that was produced outside of teachers/assessors view that could have been created by anyone...


Quite simple really!!!