Latest news with #grading
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Record gap in A-level top grades between London and north-east England
The gap between the proportion of A-level entries in London awarded the highest grades and those in north-east England is at its widest since the current system of grading was introduced, the 2025 exam figures show. Some 32.1% of entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, the highest for any region in England and up from 31.3% in 2024. By contrast, north-east England had the lowest regional percentage this year at 22.9%, down from 23.9% in 2024. The gap between these two regions now stands at 9.2 percentage points, up from 7.4 points last year and the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to analysis by the PA news agency. North-east England is one of just two regions to see a year-on-year drop in entries receiving top grades, the other being West Midlands (down from 24.8% to 24.2%). It is also the only region where the proportion of entries awarded A or A* this year, 22.9%, is lower than the equivalent figure in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (23.0%). For entries receiving the top grade of A*, London again had the highest proportion (11.6%, up from 11.3%) and north-east England the lowest (6.8%, down from 7.8%). The gap here of 4.8 percentage points is wider than in 2024 (3.5 points) but not as large as during the pandemic, when it reached 6.8 points in 2021. North-east England and the West Midlands are the only regions to see a year-on-year fall in entries receiving A*. By contrast, all regions reported a year-on-year increase in the proportion of entries awarded a grade C or higher, with London and south-east England almost tied on the highest percentage (79.54% and 79.45% respectively) and the East Midlands having the lowest (73.6%). At a national level, 30.4% of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.5%) and England (28.2%). For entries awarded C or above, Northern Ireland was ahead at 85.8%, above England (77.7%) and Wales (77.2%). Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded the top grade of A* by nation and region in 2025, with the equivalent figures for both 2024 and the pre-pandemic year of 2019: – North-east England 6.8% (2024: 7.8%; 2019: 6.7%)– North-west England 8.3% (2024: 8.0%; 2019: 6.9%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 7.7% (2024: 7.4%; 2019: 6.5%)– West Midlands 7.4% (2024: 7.9%; 2019: 6.3%)– East Midlands 7.4% (2024: 6.8%; 2019: 5.8%)– Eastern England 9.3% (2024: 9.1%; 2019: 7.9%)– South-west England 8.9% (2024: 8.8; 2019: 8.0%)– South-east England 11.0% (2024: 10.9%; 2019: 9.0%)– London 11.6% (2024: 11.3%; 2019: 8.7%)– England 9.4% (2024: 9.3%; 2019: 7.7%)– Wales 10.5% (2024: 10.1%; 2019: 8.9%)– Northern Ireland 8.7% (2024: 8.2%; 2019: 8.0%)– All 9.4% (2024: 9.3%; 2019: 7.7%) Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded A or A*, by nation and region: – North-east England 22.9% (2024: 23.9%; 2019: 23.0%)– North-west England 26.6% (2024: 25.5%; 2019: 23.5%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 25.3% (2024: 24.6%; 2019: 23.2%)– West Midlands 24.2% (2024: 24.8%; 2019: 22.0%)– East Midlands 23.8% (2024: 22.5%; 2019: 21.0%)– Eastern England 28.0% (2024: 27.5%; 2019: 25.6%)– South-west England 27.0% (2024: 26.9%; 2019: 25.8%)– South-east England 31.2% (2024: 30.8%; 2019: 28.3%)– London 32.1% (2024: 31.3%; 2019: 26.9%)– England 28.2% (2024: 27.6%; 2019: 25.2%)– Wales 29.5% (2024: 29.9%; 2019: 26.5%)– Northern Ireland 30.4% (2024: 30.3%; 2019: 29.4%)– All 28.3% (2024: 27.8%; 2019: 25.4%) Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded C or above, by nation and region: – North-east England 74.9% (2024: 74.4%; 2019: 76.3%)– North-west England 78.2% (2024: 75.9%; 2019: 75.6%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 76.8% (2024: 74.4%; 2019: 74.7%)– West Midlands 74.2% (2024: 73.4%; 2019: 72.8%)– East Midlands 73.6% (2024: 71.8%; 2019: 73.0%)– Eastern England 77.8% (2024: 76.1%; 2019: 75.7%)– South-west England 77.3% (2024: 76.3%; 2019: 76.0%)– South-east England 79.45% (2024: 78.1%; 2019: 78.0%)– London 79.54% (2024: 77.5%; 2019: 74.8%)– England 77.7% (2024: 76.0%; 2019: 75.5%)– Wales 77.2% (2024: 76.5%; 2019: 76.3%)– Northern Ireland 85.8% (2024: 85.1%; 2019: 85.0%)– All 77.9% (2024: 76.4%; 2019: 75.9%)
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Record gap in A-level top grades between London and north-east England
The gap between the proportion of A-level entries in London awarded the highest grades and those in north-east England is at its widest since the current system of grading was introduced, the 2025 exam figures show. Some 32.1% of entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, the highest for any region in England and up from 31.3% in 2024. By contrast, north-east England had the lowest regional percentage this year at 22.9%, down from 23.9% in 2024. The gap between these two regions now stands at 9.2 percentage points, up from 7.4 points last year and the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to analysis by the PA news agency. North-east England is one of just two regions to see a year-on-year drop in entries receiving top grades, the other being West Midlands (down from 24.8% to 24.2%). It is also the only region where the proportion of entries awarded A or A* this year, 22.9%, is lower than the equivalent figure in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (23.0%). For entries receiving the top grade of A*, London again had the highest proportion (11.6%, up from 11.3%) and north-east England the lowest (6.8%, down from 7.8%). The gap here of 4.8 percentage points is wider than in 2024 (3.5 points) but not as large as during the pandemic, when it reached 6.8 points in 2021. North-east England and the West Midlands are the only regions to see a year-on-year fall in entries receiving A*. By contrast, all regions reported a year-on-year increase in the proportion of entries awarded a grade C or higher, with London and south-east England almost tied on the highest percentage (79.54% and 79.45% respectively) and the East Midlands having the lowest (73.6%). At a national level, 30.4% of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.5%) and England (28.2%). For entries awarded C or above, Northern Ireland was ahead at 85.8%, above England (77.7%) and Wales (77.2%). Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded the top grade of A* by nation and region in 2025, with the equivalent figures for both 2024 and the pre-pandemic year of 2019: – North-east England 6.8% (2024: 7.8%; 2019: 6.7%)– North-west England 8.3% (2024: 8.0%; 2019: 6.9%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 7.7% (2024: 7.4%; 2019: 6.5%)– West Midlands 7.4% (2024: 7.9%; 2019: 6.3%)– East Midlands 7.4% (2024: 6.8%; 2019: 5.8%)– Eastern England 9.3% (2024: 9.1%; 2019: 7.9%)– South-west England 8.9% (2024: 8.8; 2019: 8.0%)– South-east England 11.0% (2024: 10.9%; 2019: 9.0%)– London 11.6% (2024: 11.3%; 2019: 8.7%)– England 9.4% (2024: 9.3%; 2019: 7.7%)– Wales 10.5% (2024: 10.1%; 2019: 8.9%)– Northern Ireland 8.7% (2024: 8.2%; 2019: 8.0%)– All 9.4% (2024: 9.3%; 2019: 7.7%) Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded A or A*, by nation and region: – North-east England 22.9% (2024: 23.9%; 2019: 23.0%)– North-west England 26.6% (2024: 25.5%; 2019: 23.5%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 25.3% (2024: 24.6%; 2019: 23.2%)– West Midlands 24.2% (2024: 24.8%; 2019: 22.0%)– East Midlands 23.8% (2024: 22.5%; 2019: 21.0%)– Eastern England 28.0% (2024: 27.5%; 2019: 25.6%)– South-west England 27.0% (2024: 26.9%; 2019: 25.8%)– South-east England 31.2% (2024: 30.8%; 2019: 28.3%)– London 32.1% (2024: 31.3%; 2019: 26.9%)– England 28.2% (2024: 27.6%; 2019: 25.2%)– Wales 29.5% (2024: 29.9%; 2019: 26.5%)– Northern Ireland 30.4% (2024: 30.3%; 2019: 29.4%)– All 28.3% (2024: 27.8%; 2019: 25.4%) Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded C or above, by nation and region: – North-east England 74.9% (2024: 74.4%; 2019: 76.3%)– North-west England 78.2% (2024: 75.9%; 2019: 75.6%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 76.8% (2024: 74.4%; 2019: 74.7%)– West Midlands 74.2% (2024: 73.4%; 2019: 72.8%)– East Midlands 73.6% (2024: 71.8%; 2019: 73.0%)– Eastern England 77.8% (2024: 76.1%; 2019: 75.7%)– South-west England 77.3% (2024: 76.3%; 2019: 76.0%)– South-east England 79.45% (2024: 78.1%; 2019: 78.0%)– London 79.54% (2024: 77.5%; 2019: 74.8%)– England 77.7% (2024: 76.0%; 2019: 75.5%)– Wales 77.2% (2024: 76.5%; 2019: 76.3%)– Northern Ireland 85.8% (2024: 85.1%; 2019: 85.0%)– All 77.9% (2024: 76.4%; 2019: 75.9%)
UAE Moments
16-07-2025
- UAE Moments
Abu Dhabi Bans 12 Schools from Enrolling Grades 11 & 12
Abu Dhabi just put the brakes on 12 private schools, stopping them from enrolling students in Grades 11 and 12—at least for now. The move comes from ADEK (Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge), and it's all part of a wider crackdown to keep high school grades real and reliable. Why the Ban Happened ADEK kicked off a full-on investigation after spotting suspicious gaps between students' school grades and how they actually performed on external tests. The numbers weren't adding up, and that raised some serious red flags. The aim? To make sure no one's faking the grade—and that diplomas actually reflect what students learned. Schools Now Under Review The schools under review now have to hand over their full academic breakdowns. We're talking transcripts, grading systems, test samples, and even graduation requirement checklists. It's a deep dive to find out if grades were padded or if credits were awarded without real performance. What's Coming Next This is just Phase One. ADEK says it will soon widen the review to include students from Grades 9 through 11. They'll also compare internal grades with external exams to spot any long-term patterns or school-wide issues.
Malay Mail
13-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Should lecturers use AI to grade papers?
JULY 13 — More and more educators are saying yes (albeit perhaps not out loud). I'm going to try to explain why it's not a problem ethically. But first of all, some clarification is in order. Setting aside the question of lecturers 'cheating' if they use AI to grade, not every form of assessment can be practically handled with AI. If your assignments or exams are hand-written you very likely aren't going to be using ChatGPT. Not unless you scan the papers one by one and upload them all to the system, which is hardly impossible but if you're expected to include marks or notes at the side this isn't going to be feasible. Also, if the assessment is multiple-choice (amazingly, this format still exists in undergrad studies) you'd probably be better off getting your assistant or family member or an optical mark recognition (OCR) system to perform the grading for you. More reliable and less hassle on your part. Setting aside the question of lecturers 'cheating' if they use AI to grade, not every form of assessment can be practically handled with AI. — Reuters pic What about soft-copy assignments? Sure, in that case CoPilot may help. But what about the grading rubrics? You're going to have to inform the AI regarding what counts as a Distinction, Pass and so on. And are you confident of the nuances the system picks up? You know, often the difference between one assignment getting two or three marks more than another is the way the student explained something. Would AI share your appreciation of these subtleties? This is also assuming the AI grades accurately and there are none of those nasty mistakes which we all know are made on more than a few occasions. Another issue arises if students later ask you why they received only this or that (usually low) grade. How are you going to explain the grade variations if AI read their papers on your behalf? So, am I suggesting there's no value in using AI to grade papers? Not at all. I think AI can be very helpful if you're required to read and give feedback on a 100-page post-graduate dissertation. I honestly cannot see the harm of running the paper through Grok, getting some instant criticism and commendations, before running your own human eyes through the paper. If you've attended the average Proposal Defence or Viva Voce session, you'll notice that most of the issues raised sound the same anyway. Eg, insufficient evidence when making an assertion, faulty research methodology, lack of citations on theory or history or what-not, glaring biases, the numerous spelling and grammar mistakes, and so on. These are all valid issues and can all be picked up by the likes of Gemini and, frankly, I can't see an ethical problem if an examiner is helped along the way by AI, especially if he or she is required to read and review half a dozen 100-pagers within a month. One could argue that by 'freeing' the professor from having to note down all these nitty-gritty errors and shortcomings, AI could thus enable him or her to provide 'deeper' and more profound theoretical criticisms and/or feedback. So, to go back to the original question, my answer is 'Yes, sorta'. Lecturers should be able to use AI to help them grade (some!) papers the way graphic designers use Adobe Illustrator to beautify their work or how Grab drivers use Waze to help get them to a destination faster. It gets less practical if your class has a hundred students but it can't hurt if your students are fewer and the work submitted is 'bigger'. Just gotta get the right balance, I suppose? * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
GCSE grades 2025: The 9-1 system boundaries explained
GCSE students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their results on Thursday 21 England, GCSEs are graded using a numerical system from 9 to 1. They were previously used an A-to-U letter are graded differently in Wales and Northern Ireland. How do the 9-1 GCSE grades work? The 9-1 grading scheme was brought in alongside an overhaul of the curriculum in England in rollout began in 2017 with three subjects - English language, English literature and maths - being the first to be graded in numbers. By 2020, all subjects were using the new grading highest grade is 9, while 1 is the lowest, and U means "ungraded". The number scale is not directly equivalent to the old letter one. However, the two scales do meet in certain places:the bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade Athe bottom of grade 4 is aligned with the bottom of grade Cthe bottom of grade 1 is aligned with the bottom of grade Gthree number grades - 9, 8 and 7 - correspond to the two previous top grades of A* and A How are grade boundaries decided? Grade boundaries dictate what the lowest mark is you can get to achieve a are decided by examiners each year. Exam boards publish grade boundaries on results day. What grade do pupils need to pass their GCSEs? Pupils need a 4 for a "standard pass" and 5 for a "strong pass".While grades 1-3 technically count as a pass, many sixth forms insist on a minimum number of 5s or 6s as a condition of entry for further government's school league tables are based on the percentage of pupils who achieve a 5 or above in English and maths you get a grade 3 or below in maths or English language, you will have to resit next year. Why were GCSE grades changed in England? The numerical grading scheme was introduced as part of a 2014 curriculum overhaul by then-Conservative Education Secretary, Michael put less emphasis on GCSE coursework than before, with grades in almost all subjects decided in final qualifications were designed to be more challenging, with exams taken after two years of study. Previously pupils covered the syllabus through a series of modules with regular assessments throughout the the time of the changes, the government argued that the new scale "recognises more clearly the achievements of high-attaining students, as the additional grades allow for greater differentiation".It also said that the move from letters to numbers would make it clear - for example to an employer - "whether a student has taken a new, more challenging GCSE, or an old reformed GCSE". How are GCSEs graded in Northern Ireland? Grades have changed in Northern Ireland summer 2019, the CCEA introduced a new nine-category grade scale - A* to G, including a C*.Students may also get results with grades 9-1 if they take exams set by English boards. How are GCSEs graded in Wales? The Welsh government introduced new and revised GCSE courses in September most significant changes were in English language, Welsh language and retained the letter-based grading structure A*- G.
