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Hundreds of Jersey students will be on tenterhooks this morning as they await their GCSE results - but this year some things will be a little different.
For most subjects, the grades students get will be number-based rather than letter-based - only the second year running that a new grading system has been in place.
Instead of going from A* down to G, for most subjects they now go down from 9 to 1.
This new style of classification has been criticised by many – in particular employers – for being confusing. It’s been argued 1 should be the top grade, as it used to be before the last restructuring. Or, if the classification had to be worked ‘in reverse’, there should have been a top grade of 10.
To all year 11 students anxiously awaiting their results tomorrow remember, you did what you could do at this time, embrace the opportunities on offer and no matter the results, you are still you. Good luck to you all, I’m sure you will amaze yourselves!
— Tracey Vallois (@TAVallois) August 22, 2018
In part, the restructuring was prompted because it was felt too many students were getting the top grade, and a new way had to found to distinguish and acknowledge the very best. The new top grade, 9, is above the old style A* grade and is reflective of the top 3% of attainment across the country.
Last year, Jersey beat the UK national average In its 8,443 GCSE exams. 70.6% achieved grades C and above, compared to 66.1% in England. Meanwhile, a quarter of students got grade A and above, in contrast to 19.8% on the mainland.
Education Minister Tracey Vallois issued an inspiring message to the Year 11s due to collect their results today on Twitter, stating: "...Remember, you did what you could do at this time, embrace the opportunities on offer and no matter the results, you are still you. Good luck to you all, I’m sure you will amaze yourselves!"
Despite the changes, it seems local students haven’t been fazed and could be on track to repeat last year's success.
Pictured: JCG students eagerly queue up to get their results.
At Beaulieu, 80 students sat 723 exams, an average of 9 exams per student, and the school enjoyed a 100% success rate. 86% of the passes were in the higher bands 9-4, or as they used to be graded A*-C. And, between them, 18 students gained 27 passes at the top grade – grade 9 – in English and maths.
Students at Jersey College for Girls have also been celebrating. Of the 108 students taking their GCSEs, 45 had a Grade 9 in at least one subject. With 78 students achieving 5 or more Grade, 7, 8, or 9s. There was an overall success rate of 98.2%.
Whilst at Victoria College, a total of 85 students sat 841 GCSE exams across a range of subjects. Every student passed maths with a grade 4 or above and the overall pass rate for Year 11 was just a fraction under 100%. 46% of passes were grades 7, 8, or 9.
Other local schools are expected to release their results later this morning.
Follow Express for updates and teacher comments, as each school's results come in...
Rory Steel, Director of Services at Beaulieu, said: “As an academically non-selective school, we strive to help every child in our care reach their full potential, wherever their area of interest may lie. Beaulieu is delighted to have maintained a consistently high value added score, despite the majority of subjects now focused on terminal examination, rather than a module approach.
Today’s GCSE results build on the success we enjoyed last week with our A Levels and we are particularly delighted to see a number of our students attaining the coveted Grade 9 in English and Maths. This really is exceptional work.”
Pictured: Beaulieu Services Director Rory Steel was delighted with the school's 2018 results.
He added: “We are delighted for the pupils who have excelled this year and we are extremely proud of all our students’ achievements following their hard work and determination.”
Whilst acknowledging the exceptionally high level of success, JCG Principal, Carl Howarth, stressed “It is wonderful to see students who have aspired and worked so hard to significantly outperform their targets. This positive difference is the value that they, their teachers, their families and the College as a whole have added to their education and we are so proud of them.”
Victoria College Headmaster Alun Watkins said; “These are impressive results and we are especially proud of our boys and our staff team today. It has been a year of added uncertainty because of the move towards the numerical grades for the first time in many subjects and I know students have anxiously awaited their GCSE results.”
He went on to say: “The percentages and grades are only part of the story today. These strong results show the resilience of the teachers in a time of change and the diligence and hard work of our boys. Congratulations to all and, of course, thank you to parents and families for their vital support along the way. Today’s success means that nearly all boys who received their results will stay on at Victoria College to take A-levels.”
Les Quennevais are yet to announce their full set of results, but said on social media that they had set a "new school record."
They added that there were "many happy faces" in the school due to the "outstanding" results.
More to follow...
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