Press Release
Date: Thursday 19 August 2010 (NR/09/10)
Northern Ireland Students Continue to Excel at A-level
A-Level students in Northern Ireland continue to perform at the highest levels as the new A* grade is successfully introduced.
The news comes as the Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) released figures for the performance of Northern Ireland students in this summer’s A-Level examinations.
- 2010 is the first year of the new A* grade and the statistics show that in Northern Ireland 9.3% of grades awarded were A*.
- At the top grades, A*-A, there has been an increase of 1.2 percent in terms of candidate achievement (compared to candidates achieving A in 2009).
- The overall pass rate remains consistently high, with 98.1% of students achieving grades A*-E. This compares to a pass rate of 98.4% in 2009.
- A Level entry levels have remained consistent with previous years with 31741 grades awarded this year - a small increase of 1.2% since 2009. This is in line with a 0.8% increase across NI, England and Wales.
- There is a continued uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects
Congratulating students, CCEA’s Director of Qualifications, Anne Marie Duffy said:
Once again we see that Northern Ireland students are continuing to perform at the very highest level. This year we have seen 35.7% of entries awarded an A grade or above. In addition, this year we have seen the successful introduction of the A* grade and it is very encouraging to see that 9.3% of student entries have been rewarded for their exceptional performance.
Overall pass rates also remain consistently high with more than 98% of Northern Ireland students achieving grades A*-E. These results reflect the hard work and dedication of students the commitment of teachers and the support of their families.
This is a day of celebration and I would like to congratulate students on the excellent results they have achieved this year and wish them every success for the future in their chosen career path.
Popular Subjects
The most popular subjects this year were Biology, Mathematics and English followed closely by History and Religious Studies. This trend is consistent with previous years and indicates the continued popularity of traditional subjects.
All languages saw an increase in entry levels this year with Spanish rising by 10.8% and Irish also seeing a rise in entries of 3.8%.
Entry levels for STEM subjects remain healthy with significant increases seen in ICT (20.8%), Technology (11.2%) and Physics (9.8%).
Gender Differences
Females continue to perform slightly better than males. The performance gap between males and females achieving grades A* – E is 0.7 percent.
At the top A* grade females continue to perform better than males. Of the grades awarded to males 8.8% were at A*. Of the grades awarded to females 9.7% were at A*.
Helpline
Students or parents with concerns over GCE results should contact
By telephone
Tel No. (028) 9026 1260
By website
Search for answers from the Frequently Asked Questions section.
By e-mail
Northern Ireland GCSE results statistics will be made available on Tuesday 24 August 2009.
Additional Information
A Level results and entry levels
| 2010 | NI | NI, England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| ENTRIES | 31,741 (31,374) | 853,933 (846,977) |
| %A* | 9.3 | 8.1 |
| %A*-A | 35.7 (34.5) | 27.0 (26.7) |
| %A* - E | 98.1 (98.4) | 97.6 (97.5) |
2009 % figures in brackets
5 Most popular subjects
| Subject | % |
|---|---|
| Biology | 10.1 |
| Mathematics | 9.4 |
| English | 7.7 |
| History | 7.2 |
| Religious Studies | 6.9 |
| Chemistry | 5.8 |
Gender Comparisons
| NI 2010 | NI 2009 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| %A* | 8.8 | 9.7 | - | - |
| %A - A | 32.9 | 37.9 | 32.4 | 36.1 |
| %A*-E | 97.7 | 98.4 | 98.1 | 98.6 |
AS Levels results and entries
| Entries | A | A – E | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 42095 | 34.3 | 95.0 |
| 2010 | 41921 | 33.9 | 94.4 |
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.
