Press Release
Date: Thursday 25 August 2005 (NR/22/05)
NORTHERN IRELAND STUDENTS MAKING GOOD PROGRESS AT GCSE
As the remaining 25% of GCSE results are released this morning from exam boards in England and Wales, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has published overall performance figures for Northern Ireland showing that students here continue to perform well in these examinations with steady improvement across the grades.
The figures, published by CCEA on behalf of all the awarding bodies operating in Northern Ireland, also show that, as with A Levels, Northern Ireland pupils continue to outperform their peers in England and Wales .
Overall GCSE Entries in Northern Ireland have dropped by 3.1% from 205,287 in 2004 to 198,891 this year. However some of this drop could be down the increasing numbers of students sitting GCSE Applied examinations and Occupational Studies courses. Nationally GCSE entries have also fallen by 2.4% to 5,736,505.
At the highest grade Northern Ireland has stretched its lead over the rest, with
7.5% of entries locally achieving the top A* grade as compared to 5.9% nationally. At A* to C, 71% of Northern Ireland entries made the grade as opposed to 61.2% nationally.
Commenting on the results CCEA Chief Executive Gavin Boyd said:
“Here is further evidence of the excellent work that is carried out in our schools and colleges to ensure Northern Ireland ’s young people continue to achieve their potential. As with the A level results last week this is another good news story for Northern Ireland . The results achieved by the class of 2005 means they now have the opportunity to continue their education or to m ove on to employment. The hard work of teachers and students deserves our praise and encouragement.”
Despite the overall drop in entries there have been significant rises in a number of GCSE subjects. In particular there have increases in: Information Technology (up 9.4%); Music (up 9.3%); Spanish (up 7%); and PE (up 6.9%). Of the subjects losing entries the most notable are: French (down 8.7%); Business Studies (down 7.5%); and Home Economics (down 6.4%).
Commenting on these figures Gavin Boyd said:
As you would expect the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science Double Award continue to provide the lion’s share of the GCSE entries. It is encouraging therefore to see that more students are entering for modern languages such as Spanish and German. We’ve seen a fall in the numbers taking French, but this is considerably less than the fall we’ve seen nationally, and it still remains a popular choice especially with boys. There has also been a steady rise in entries for the individual sciences of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
This is the second year that students have received grades in GCSE Applied Double Awards, with the numbers entered more than doubled this year, mainly due to the introduction of a new subject by CCEA – Learning for Life and Work. This subject is being run on a pilot basis in 97 schools and colleges in Northern Ireland . It includes areas such as Personal, Social and Health Education, Citizenship and Employability
Mr Boyd commented:
“The introduction of the curricular area of Learning for Life and Work is one of the key reforms being made to what is taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges. I’m delighted with the progress we have made in developing this new and important qualification. In the coming academic year more schools and colleges are due to join the pilot, after which we will be pushing to have the qualification made available to all students.”
Another aspect of the results making a first significant appearance in 2005 is the area of Occupational Studies.
Unique to CCEA, Occupational Studies is proving increasingly popular in schools and colleges across Northern Ireland. Learning takes place both in the school and in a work environment, with students developing their skills through a practical ‘hands-on’ approach. It is available in areas such as Hospitality and Catering, Construction, Design; Engineering; Digital Technology and Horticulture.
This year CCEA received 1,266 entries in Occupational Studies, and the increasing popularity of the subject means that this figure is set to grow in 2006.
Once again in 2005 CCEA is operating an examinations helpline to support anxious students, parents and teachers. This year for the first time the helpline will be supported by a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions resource available online at www.ccea.org.uk
The helpline will be in operation from 9.00 am until 5.00 pm week days until Wednesday 31 August. Anyone with any queries regarding their examination results can call 028 9026 1260 or email helpline@ccea.org.uk for help and guidance on a range of issues.
NI 2005 GCSE – full course
- Overall GCSE Entry numbers in Northern Ireland decreased from 205,287 to 198,891 (a decrease of 6,396 - 3.1%). Nationally there was a decrease of 2.4% from 5,875,373 to 5,736,505.
- This year, there was an increase at A* from 7.1% to 7.5%. Grades A* - A show a 1.2% increase to 24.0%. Grades A* - C increased by 1.6% to 71%. There was a 0.5% increase in grades A* - G to 97.8%.
- Girls outperform boys at A* by 3.4% (2004 - 3.6%), at A* - A by 7.8% (2004 – 7.9%), at A* - C by 8.9% (2004 - 8.6%), and at A* - G by 1.1%. (2004 - 1.2%)
GCSE Headline performance figures 2005 (2004 figures in brackets)
2005 provisional |
Overall |
|
|
NI |
UK |
%A* |
7.5 (7.1) |
5.9 (5.6) |
%A* - A |
24.0 (22.8) |
18.4 (17.4) |
%A* - C |
71.0 (69.4) |
61.2 (59.2) |
%A* - G |
97.8 (97.3) |
97.8 (97.6) |
Entries |
198,891 (205,287) |
5,736,505 (5,875,373) |
2005 provisional |
Boys |
Girls |
||
|
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
%A* |
5.8 |
4.9 |
9.2 |
6.9 |
%A* - A |
20.0 |
15.6 |
27.8 |
21.1 |
%A* - C |
66.4 |
57.0 |
75.3 |
65.2 |
%A* - G |
97.2 |
97.4 |
98.3 |
98.2 |
The five most popular subjects at GCSE – Northern Ireland 2004 positions in italics
2005 |
Overall |
Boys |
Girls |
|||
|
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
1 |
Mathematics (13.8%) Mathematics (15%) |
DA Science (17.2%)
|
Mathematics (13.7%) Mathematics (15%) |
DA Science (17.3%) |
Mathematics (13.9%) Mathematics (15%) |
DA Science (17.2%) |
2 |
English (13.0%) English (13%) |
Mathematics (12.9%) |
English (13.1%) English (13.1%) |
Mathematics (13%) |
English (12.8%) English (12.9%) |
Mathematics (12.9%) |
3 |
DA Science (12.8%) DA Science (12.9%) |
English (12.4%) |
DA Science (12.8%) DA Science (12.8%) |
English (12.5%) |
DA Science (12.8%) DA Science (12.9%) |
English (12.2%) |
4 |
Religious Studies (6.4%) Religious Studies (6.4%) |
English Literature (9.9%) |
Religious Studies (6%) Religious Studies (5.9%)
|
English Literature (9.7%)
|
Religious Studies (6.8%) Religious Studies (6.7%) |
English Literature (10.1%)
|
5 |
English Literature (5.8%) French (6.1%) |
Design & Technology (6.9%) |
French (5.3%) French (5.7%) |
Design & Technology (7.5%) |
English Literature (6.6%) French (6.5%) |
Design & Technology (6.3%) |
Individual subject entries - the following changes in entries are seen:
|
NI |
NATIONALLY |
Business Studies |
Down 7.5% |
Down 5.8% |
Spanish |
Up 7% |
Down 2.5% |
Information Technology |
Up 9.4% |
Up 4.6% |
Music |
Up 9.3% |
Up 3.1% |
Home Economics |
Down 6.4% |
Down 0.7% |
PE |
Up 6.9% |
Up 7.5% |
English |
Down 3.7% |
Up 0.1% |
D&T |
Down 3.3% |
Down 9.3% |
Drama |
Up 0.3% |
Down 0.5% |
Religious Studies |
Down 2.8% |
Up 4.6% |
French |
Down 8.7% |
Down 14.4% |
History |
Down 2.5% |
Down 1.5% |
German |
Up 3.4% |
Down 13.7% |
Mathematics |
Down 1.7% |
No change |
Biology |
Up 2.8% |
Up 5.9% |
NI 2005 GCSE – short course
- Entry numbers increased from 5,522 to 6,003 (an increase of 8.7%)
- This year, there was a 0.1% decrease at A* from 12.2% to 12.1% Grades A*-A show a 0.2% decrease to 27.1%. Grades A* - C increased by 1.1% to 63.8%. There was a 1.3% increase in grades A* - G to 87.7%.
- Girls outperform boys at A* by 10.4% (2004 - 11%), at A* - A by 18.1% (2004 – 20.5%), at A* - C by 21.4% (2004 –22.4%), and at A* - G by 9.4% %( 2004- 10.6%)
2005 |
Overall |
Boys |
Girls |
|||
|
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
%A* |
12.1 |
4.5 |
6.9 |
2.9 |
17.3 |
6.0 |
%A* - A |
27.1 |
14.6 |
18.1 |
10.6 |
36.2 |
18.3 |
%A* - C |
63.8 |
51.1 |
53.1 |
44.1 |
74.5 |
57.5 |
%A* - G |
87.7 |
95.5 |
83.0 |
94.1 |
92.4 |
96.7 |
The table below ranks the GCSE short courses by popularity.
2005 |
Overall |
Boys |
Girls |
1 |
Religious Studies (75.7%) |
Religious Studies (75.5%) |
Religious Studies (75.9%) |
2 |
Information & Communication Technology (15.2%) |
Information & Communication Technology (13.8%) |
Information & Communication Technology (16.7%) |
3 |
French (4.8%) |
French (5.3%) |
French (4.3%) |
4 |
Citizenship Studies (2.4%) |
Citizenship Studies (2.9%) |
Citizenship Studies (1.9%) |
Applied GCSEs 2005
(2004 figures in brackets)
|
NI APPLIED |
National APPLIED |
A*A* |
0.3 (1.4) |
0.7 (0.6) |
A*A*- AA |
5.8 (7.0) |
5.1 (4.4) |
A*A*- CC |
47.8 (48.2) |
39.0 (34.7) |
A*A*-GG |
93.3 (94.8) |
93.1 (94.8) |
Entries |
3,450 (1,547) |
151,695 (113,202) |
Entry Level Certificate 2005 (ELC)
- The Entry Level Certificate has been developed for those students not expected to achieve a GCSE. It allows for certification in a range of subjects graded 1 – 3.
- In 2005 there were 7971 ELC entries in 2005, a slight increase of 157 entries in ELC from 2004. The majority of entries were males, 5,129 (64.3%) and 2,842 (35.6%) female.
- The performance of candidates is similar at all Levels in UK and NI.
- Overall achievement at Entry level 1 and above is 95.3% in NI, 95.9 in UK . 49.9% achieved entry level 3, a slight decrease from 2004 (50.2).
- Once again girls outperform boys, 54.3% achieving Entry level 3 as opposed to 47.5% boys; and 96.3% of girls achieving Entry level 1 or above compared to 94.8% boys.
2005 provisional |
Overall |
Boys |
Girls |
|||
|
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
%Entry lev 3 |
49.9 |
49.3 |
47.5 |
48.6 |
54.3 |
50.4 |
%Entry lev 2 |
80.8 |
81.8 |
79.5 |
91.3 |
83.3 |
82.5 |
%Entry lev 1 |
95.3 |
95.9 |
94.8 |
95.7 |
96.3 |
96.2 |
2004 provisional |
Overall |
Boys |
Girls |
|||
|
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
NI |
UK |
%Entry lev 3 |
50.2 |
49.1 |
48.1 |
48.6 |
54.3 |
49.8 |
%Entry lev 2 |
80.7 |
82.0 |
79.8 |
81.4 |
82.3 |
83.0 |
%Entry lev 1 |
94.9 |
96.0 |
94.5 |
95.7 |
95.7 |
96.5 |
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
