2nd September 2011 10:19
By Blue Tutors
This summer GCSE results showed that the gap between boys and girls is at an all time high, with girls out performing boys in every subject. This year 26.5% of girls' entries in all subjects were an A* or A grade, with boys achieving 19.8% A or A*. Girls also achieved the top grades in subjects such as science and maths, traditionally areas in which boys out perform girls.
Trends like this are interesting, but we must be careful how we interpret them. The gap between boys and girls at Alevel this year was far less pronounced, suggesting that the GCSE results could reflect girls maturing more quickly than boys, and taking the exams more seriously. However, commentators have warned against a monolithic interpretation.
In recent years the structure of the GCSE exams has been altered in a way which, some argue, favours girls.Professor Alan Smithers, of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said girls may have outperformed girls because the style of GCSE is more suited to them. GCSE courses are currently taken in modules, including coursework. This demands consistent application to school work throughout the year, which is more girls are more likely to achieve. By contrast, boys out perform girls in final end of course exams, and it has been speculated that a return to this style of assessment may narrow the gap between boys and girls considerably.