Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students did not get a grade 9-4 in their GCSE results in the 2017-18 academic year.

In 2018, pupils sat a combination of the 23 reformed GCSEs graded on a 9-1 scale and the remaining legacy GCSEs graded on an A*-G scale. The bottom of grade 4 is aligned with the bottom of grade C, so a grade 4 or above marks a similar achievement to the old grade C or above.

The number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2018 who did not achieve any grades A*-C/9-4 across all their GCSE and equivalent subject entries[1], [2] are as follows:

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2017-to-2018-provisional.

[2] Cambridge International Certificates and Edexcel Level 1/2 Certificates were classed as GCSE equivalent awards in 2017/18. If GCSE equivalents were excluded from the analysis, the number not achieving any 9-4/A*-C passes would go up by 283 in all schools, and 121 in state funded schools.

[3] From 2017, new reformed GCSEs in English language, English literature and mathematics are graded using a new 9-1 scale. Unreformed subjects continue to be graded using the A* to G system. See the statistical first release (SFR) ‘Quality and methodology’ document for further information.

[4] Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once and only one entry is counted in these circumstances. Only the first entry is counted, in all subjects, in line with the early entry guidance (see SFR 'Quality and Methodology' document).