Thursday 20 August 2020
Students across the Bailiwick received their GCSE and other level 2 grades today, achieving an impressive set of results considering the challenging circumstances they faced this year.
There have been a great many success stories across our schools and the College of Further Education, part of The Guernsey Institute. Overall, 73.2% of students across the Bailiwick have achieved at least five A* - C/9 - 4 grades including English and maths. This is a credit to students and teachers throughout the islands.
Due to the challenges this year as a result of the global pandemic, and the differences in the way grades were awarded, caution should be taken in attempting to compare directly headline figures to previous years.
The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture announced earlier this week that all Year 11students will have their offers of post-16 places at the Sixth Form Centre and the College of Further Education honoured based on teacher-predicted grades, regardless of results received today. This decision was made to provide local students with reassurance and certainty amid continuing controversy nationally about public exam results.
While students did not sit the exam papers, an assessment (Centre Assessed Grade) of all of the work they have done across their studies was made by their schools to help determine final grades.
Following the announcements earlier in the week made by the UK Government, students' grades will be the higher of their Centre Assessed Grade - the grade calculated by looking at their work - and the grade calculated for them by the exam regulator, Ofqual, after it has been put through their statistical model.
The island has been closely following the approach taken in England to ensure that our students are on a level playing field with their UK counterparts.
The new grading structure, using 9-1, rather than A*-G, continues to be phased in. While they are not directly comparable, a 4 is roughly equivalent to a C.
As last year, school leaders will be analysing the results under the new Guernsey Attainment 8 system, the results of which will be published in January alongside the UK. This new performance measure has been introduced in response to concerns about the incentives created by the A*-C measure; for example it incentivised a disproportionate focus on a small number of subjects, and on students near the C/D boundary. It will also ensure Guernsey is able to benchmark against other jurisdictions.
5+ Grades 9-4/A*-C inc. English and Maths | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Bailiwick wide | 73.2% | 63.9% | 68.4% | 65.6% |
La Mare de Carteret High | 41.8% | 39.5% | 58% | 41.7% |
Les Beaucamps High | 62.9% | 52.5% | 53.1% | 45% |
St Sampson's High | 52.1% | 47.8% | 47.3% | 48.7% |
The Grammar School | 100% | 88.6% | 97.6% | 98.9% |
St Anne's, Alderney | 66.7% | 25% | 50% | 54.5% |
Les Voies | 33.3% | 8.3% | N/A | N/A |
5+ Grades 9-4/A*-C | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Bailiwick wide | 79.2% | 70.5% | 72.8% | 70.3% |
La Mare de Carteret High | 57.0% | 50.6% | 68.1% | 54.2% |
Les Beaucamps High | 67.4% | 63.2% | 62.5% | 56.9% |
St Sampson's High | 64.3% | 50.7% | 50.4% | 54.7% |
The Grammar School | 100% | 95.5% | 100% | 98.9% |
St Anne's, Alderney | 77.8% | 56.3% | 75% | 54.5% |
Les Voies | 33.3% | 25% | N/A | N/A |
5+ Grades 9-1/A*-G | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Bailiwick wide | 95.0% | 92.1% | 93.8% | 91.7% |
La Mare de Carteret High | 96.2% | 100% | 100% | 95.8% |
Les Beaucamps High | 88.8% | 95.8% | 88.5% | 90.8% |
St Sampson's High | 87.1% | 99.3% | 91.6% | 92.3% |
The Grammar School | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
St Anne's, Alderney | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Les Voies | 83.3% | 91.7% | 75% | 100% |
Le Murier Year 11 students also had an excellent year with accreditations and qualifications being gained in functional skills, ASDAN, City & Guilds and BTEC from Entry Level to Level 2.
Technical and vocational qualifications
One of the awarding organisations for technical and vocational qualifications, Pearson, announced yesterday that it would be delaying issuing results for students who had studied on courses such as Level 1 and Level 2 BTEC as it wanted to regrade its assessments in line with changes made to other qualifications.
As a result, students in the Bailiwick who have undertaken BTECs have received provisional grades today. Finalised grades for these courses will be released in due course and the exam board has provided the assurance that final results may only go up, not down.
Results for GCSE English and maths retakes at The College of Further Education are shown below.
|
| 2019/20 |
IGCSE Maths | % 9 - 1 (equivalent of A*-G) | 100% |
| % 9 - 4 (equivalent of A*-C) | 65% |
IGCSE English | % 9 - 1 (equivalent of A*-G) | 100% |
| % 9 - 4 (equivalent of A*-C) | 100% |
Deputy Matt Fallaize, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
"On behalf of the Committee, I want to congratulate all students for the effort they have put into working toward these grades over the last two years. It also goes without saying this year has been unusual, so I can only commend the resilience of the students in the Bailiwick for working through such a difficult time.
"The Committee made a decision earlier this week to honour post-16 offers based on predicted grades, before the UK Government's announcement to accept centre assessed grades, because we recognised the significant level of uncertainty and wanted to ensure our students were not unfairly disadvantaged as they move on to the next chapter of their lives."
Liz Coffey, Executive Headteacher of the four secondary schools, said:
"Well done to our students for everything you have achieved and to everyone who has supported you. We look forward to hearing of your future success as you embark on your future destinations within education or employment."
Louise Misselke, Principal of the College of Further Education and Executive Director at the Guernsey Institute, said:
"This has been a very challenging year for all students in education, while many of the results are provisional at the moment it does not detract from the achievement of our students. On behalf of all the staff of Guernsey College, congratulations to all our students, we are really proud of their work and dedication. We are looking forward to supporting them in their next steps."
