Statistical first release (SFR) providing revised information on the overall achievements of 16- to 18- year olds for the 2015 to 2016 academic year, including attainment measures on:

• A levels and other academic level 3 qualifications
• technical and applied level 3 qualifications
• English and maths qualifications (for students without a good pass at key stage 4)

We published provisional figures for attainment measures in October 2016, which schools and colleges checked.

As a result, in January 2017 we published:

• the main release on this page with revised attainment measures
• information about providers who fell below the academic and applied general minimum standards

The ‘Retention measure, completion and attainment measure, and tech level minimum standards’ document (published on 16 March 2017) includes information on:

• retention measures, which show the percentage of students who completed their main study programme
• the completion and attainment measure, which compares the attainment of individual students with the average attainment of students across England who studied for the same qualifications
• the number of providers that fell below the minimum standards on tech level qualifications

The retention measure and the completion and attainment measure at institution level are published in the https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/" class="govuk-link">16 to 18 performance tables for 2016.

Main trends

1. In June 2022, 3.7% of GCSE grades awarded were challenged and 0.9% of GCSE grades awarded were changed (compared to 5.4% challenged and 1.1% changed in June 2019). At AS and A level, 4.9% of grades awarded were challenged and and 1.2% were changed in June 2022 (compared to 7.4% challenged and 1.5% changed in June 2019).
2. Of the 191,955 GCSE grades challenged in June 2022, 43,530 (23%) were changed, compared to June 2019 where 279,925 GCSE grades were challenged and 56,680 (20%) were changed.

3. Of the 41,755 AS and A level grades challenged in June 2022, 10,235 (25%) were changed, compared to June 2019 where 63,980 AS and A level grades were challenged and 13,070 (20%) were changed.

4. In June 2022, 65% of GCSE reviews (compared to 64% in June 2019) and 52% AS and A level reviews (compared to 58% in June 2019) resulted in no component mark change.

5. In June 2022, the most commonly challenged grades at AS and A level, GCSE, and in GCSE combined science were grades B (37.7%), 3 (21.5%) and 4-3 (17.6%) respectively.

Main trends

The main trends in the number of appeals for GCSE and GCE (AS and A level) made following the 2018/19 academic year in England were:

• The main trends in the number of appeals for GCSE and GCE (AS and A level) made following the 2018/19 academic year in England were:

• Overall, 3,205 (0.05%) of the 5.9 million grades certified for GCSEs and AS/A levels were challenged.

• Of the 3,205 grades challenged, 516 (16%) were changed.

• The number of appeals received in 2018/19 was 1,254, an increase of 46% from 2017/18 where there were 857 appeals received. This is likely due to the new grounds for an appeal being extended to all GCSEs in 2018/19.

• The number of grades challenged in 2018/19 was 3,205, an increase of 127% from 2017/18 where there were 1,412 grades challenged. This is likely due to the new grounds for an appeal being extended to all GCSEs in 2018/19.

• The number of appeals upheld in 2018/19 was 683, an increase of 68% from 2017/18 where there were 406 appeals upheld. This is likely due to the new grounds for an appeal being extended to all GCSEs in 2018/19.

• The number of grades changed in 2018/19 was 516, an increase of 154% from 2017/18 where there were 203 grades changed. This is likely due to the new grounds for an appeal being extended to all GCSEs in 2018/19.

• The most common reason for appeals was review of marking - marking error.

• Most upheld appeals resulted in no grade change.

• A small proportion (3%) of preliminary appeals progressed to an appeal hearing.

User feedback

We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.

The main findings regarding the number of appeals made for GCSE, GCE (AS and A level) and Project qualifications for the 2019/20 academic year in England were:

1. One appeal may cover several grades and the number of appeals received for GCSEs and GCEs (AS and A levels) in 2019/20 was 3,625. Of these appeals 2,995 (83% of appeals received) were upheld.

2. Overall, 27,560 (0.45%) of the 6.1 million grades certified for GCSEs and GCEs (AS and A levels) were challenged.

3. Of the 27,560 GCSE and GCE grades challenged, 4,890 (18% of grades challenged) were changed.

4. Centre error was the most common reason for GCSE and GCE appeals.

5. For Project qualifications in 2019/20 there were 15 appeals received and 20 grades challenged.

User feedback

We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.

The tables provide 2012 information on pupil residency-based small area pupil attainment (early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) and key stages 1, 2, 4 and 5) broken down by gender, free school meal (FSM) eligibility (key stages 2 and 4 only) and ethnicity (key stages 2 and 4 only). The tables also provide information on pupil residency-based pupil absence broken down by gender for the 2011 to 2012 academic year.

The key points from the latest release are:

• at EYFSP, girls consistently perform better than boys in almost all LADs

• at key stage 1, key stage 2, key stage 4 and key stage 5, girls also outperform boys in all but a small number of LADs

• overall, all other pupils perform significantly better than FSM pupils in all areas of the country, this performance gap can be seen at both key stage 2 and key stage 4

• Chinese pupils continue to have the highest levels of attainment in all regions for key stage 2 and key stage 4

• black pupils have some of the lowest levels of attainment across the country at these 2 key stages

• levels of persistent absence among pupils in secondary schools are generally higher among pupils living in the north of the country than those living in the south

• there is smaller variation across the regions for pupils in primary schools with the Yorkshire and the Humber having the highest level of persistent absence and the South East the lowest

• in all schools, pupils in Yorkshire and the Humber have the highest level of unauthorised absence (1.1% of half days missed), but not the highest level of overall absence which is in the North East (5.3% of half days missed)
• pupils in London have the lowest levels of overall absence (4.8% of half days missed) but a relatively high level of unauthorised absence (1% of half days missed) compared to pupils in other regions

Download formats http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadHome.do?m=0&s=1371649586709&enc=1&nsjs=true&nsck=false&nssvg=false&nswid=1276" class="govuk-link">www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk

Additional information on maps above:

• map: early years foundation stage profile by local authority district - percentage of pupils in all schools and early years’ settings achieving a good level of development by local authority district (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: early years foundation stage profile by middle layer super output area - percentage of pupils in all schools and early years’ settings achieving a good level of development by middle layer super output area (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 1 average point score by local authority district - average point score of pupils in maintained schools by local authority district (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 1 average point score by middle layer super output area - average point score of pupils in maintained schools by middle layer super output area (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 2 by local authority district - percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieving level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths combined by local authority district (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 2 by middle layer super output area - percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieving level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths combined by middle layer super output area (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 4 - 5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics by local authority district - percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieving 5 A* to C grades at GCSE or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs by local authority district (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 4 - 5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics by middle layer super output area - percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieving 5 A* to C grades at GCSE or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs by middle layer super output area (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 4 English Baccalaureate by local authority district - percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieving the English Baccalaureate by local authority district (of pupil residence), 2012

• map: key stage 5 - 2 or more passes by local authority district - percentage of students achieving 2 or more passes of A level equivalent size in maintained schools and further education sector colleges by local authority district (of student residence), 2012

• map: key stage 5 avera

Details

The key details regarding the number of appeals made for GCSE, AS and A level, and Project qualifications for the 2020 to 2021 academic year in England were:

1. Overall, 17,610 of the 6.1 million grades certified for GCSEs, AS and A levels were challenged (0.3% of all grades certified)

2. Overall, 6,200 of the 6.1 million grades certified for GCSEs, AS and A levels were changed as part of an upheld appeal (0.1% of all grades certified)

3. One appeal may cover several grades and the number of appeals received for GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2020 to 2021 was 16,090. Of these appeals 5,770 (36% of appeals received) were upheld

4. The most common ground for an appeal for GCSE, AS and A level was ‘Unreasonable exercise of academic judgement: determination of grade’

5. For Project qualifications in 2020 to 2021 there were 105 appeals received, covering 130 grades, 0.3% of the 52,100 grades certified for projects in 2020 to 2021

6. Most upheld appeals, for all qualifications covered, resulted in a grade change.

User feedback

We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.