Some 340 local students to receive A-level results tomorrow

Some 340 students in Gibraltar will receive their A-level results tomorrow morning as UK exams regulator Ofqual said it expects results to be “broadly similar” to last summer, when grades were brought back in line with pre-Covid levels.

Tomorrow will mark the third exam results day in Gibraltar after years of Covid disruption.

In 2022 exams were graded more leniently due to the pandemic, with this years results expected to be similar to those in 2023 and 2019.

Last year the overall pass rate for Westside School, Bayside School and the Gibraltar College was 93%, 2% down from last year as Ofqual completed its “return to standards” plan to pre-pandemic levels.

The Minister for Education, Dr John Cortes, sent his well wishes to all students receiving their results tomorrow.

“As to grade deflation we’ll have to wait and see,” he told the Chronicle.

For students who do not meet their expected grades, there is an option to secure spot at a university through clearing.

The Department of Education has previously advised students to have their UCAS information to hand, their UK identification number and to have researched courses they are interested in.

The schools will be open and available to support students throughout the process.

Bayside, Westside and the College also have teams ready to respond to all queries which include about university or other paths.

Further key advice for students is to rehearse a mini-interview with a university, in case this takes place during the clearing process.

Students should be able to answer questions like why they find themselves in a clearing position and should check their UCAS status on the tracker as soon as possible on results day.

Last spring Gibraltar had 1133 sponsored students on scholarships, with some of this cohort now graduating this summer.

UK reports have suggested 16,000 fewer top A-level grades could be awarded tomorrow.

Ahead of A-level results day this week, Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research (CEER) at the University of Buckingham, has predicted there could be around 16,000 fewer A or A* grades awarded this year compared with 2023.

He has suggested the drop in results will be “proportionally greater” in Wales and Northern Ireland as they are aiming to restore pre-pandemic standards this summer, whereas England had this target last year.

It comes after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

Last summer, more than a quarter (27.2%) of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, down by 9.2 percentage points on 2022 when 36.4% achieved the top grades.

However, this was still higher than in 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – when 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades.

“August 2024 is when we can expect the grades to return to what they were in 2019,” Prof Smithers said.

“But many parents, pupils, and teachers were unhappy at the reductions in 2023.”

“With an overabundance of top grades, however, they do not do what they are there for, which is to distinguish levels of performance.”

Figures covering A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) on Thursday next week.

In his report, Prof Smithers also predicts that boys’ lead over girls in scoring more A* grades could widen this year.

Last year, 9.1% of boys’ entries scored an A* grade, compared with 8.8% of girls’ entries – a 0.3 percentage point gap.

This reversed a recent trend as girls were ahead in the top result for the previous three years.

In his report, Prof Smithers suggested that there could be “major swings” in exam entries which he added could reflect “changing perceptions of the value of A-levels and university degrees”.

Reflecting on provisional exam entries data for England, the education expert said “long-term trends are likely to be shaken up in 2024″.

A-level entries for modern foreign languages have increased, but entries for sociology are down, according to provisional figures from Ofqual in June.

“Young people up and down the country will be looking forward to collecting results next week and taking their next step, and should be proud of their achievements after the disruption of recent years,” UK Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said.

“For the second year in a row, A-level grading will be at pre-pandemic levels in England, ensuring qualifications maintain their value and students get the opportunities they deserve.”

“We expect overall results for A-levels to be broadly similar to last year and universities have taken that into account when making offers this year.”