GCSEs set out on the road to reform
Headlines in the national news today have focused on GCSE reforms that have introduced a new grading system in maths, English literature and English language.
Science subjects are yet to undergo the grading changes, though there are some shifts in entries to science GCSEs across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here’s our take on what’s happening this year.
Crunching the numbers
The entry numbers for GCSE Science are down by 25% in England and 78% in Wales. At first glance this may appear alarming, however we can see from a breakdown of the entry data that this is related to the ongoing GCSE reforms.
Historically, GCSE Science was taken by many students at the end of Year 10, who would then sit additional science at the end of Year 11. This year, Year 10s are following the reformed GCSEs in England and Wales – there is no single science GCSE, so they are not being entered for science qualifications at the end of Y10. These students will take their GCSEs next year, at the end of Year 11.
The provisional entry data released earlier this year showed that this change explains the big drop in overall numbers. Entries from Year 10 students have all but disappeared, while those from students in Year 11 are actually slightly up. The difference in the extent of the change between England and Wales can also be explained. Historically, most Welsh students entered GCSE Science in Year 10, while the majority of students in England entered in Year 11. So, the relative drop is much bigger in Wales than in England.
Meanwhile, small fluctuations in entry numbers are seen across the nations for GCSEs in Additional Science and the individual science subjects. The main exception is an increase of 26% sitting GCSE Additional Science in Wales. We suspect this significant increase is related to the forthcoming removal of BTEC in science resulting in schools switching students from the vocational option to GCSEs. In Northern Ireland there is a shift in entries away from GCSE Additional Science and towards the CCEA Science Double Award.
What happens next?
Whether you're celebrating getting the results you hoped for or things haven't turned out quite as planned, there's lots of help available to you in deciding what you do next.
The BBC Advice site is a great place to start with more general advice on what options are open to you and we've got lots more specific pointers on our own website about a range of potential routes for a fulfilling future in chemistry.
