Do students who take GCSEs early perform better in their chosen examinations, or are they giving up their chance of getting a higher grade?
Speaking at a recent seminar hosted by the Cambridge Assessment Network, researchers Beth Black (OCR), Chung-Pak Cheung (OCR) and Tim Gill (Cambridge Assessment) explained how data shows that there has been an increase in GCSE entries in year 9 and 10 following the abolishment of KS3 tests, and that this trend is greater in state schools than independent ones.
The findings from the data also showed that:
- High ability students were in general less likely to get a grade A or better in English or maths if they entered early
- The differences in terms of likelihood of getting a C or better were very small depending on whether the student entered early or not
- Those who entered for GCSE maths in June of year 10 tended to do better in A Level maths or A Level science.
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