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Congratulations to students, teachers and schools across the country for their achievements in this year’s GCSE examinations. The GA has published a detailed analysis of geography GCSE results for the summer 2023 exams.
Summary
In 2023 GCSE examination results returned to pre-pandemic grading patterns, following changes in assessment arrangements in 2020-22. Overall outcomes in 2023 were slightly higher than 2019, the best comparator year, and lower than in 2022. The achievement gap between boys and girls reduced.
The design of GCSE qualifications varies between England, Wales and Northern Ireland: together these three home nations make up the data for ‘the UK’ below. Comparing GCSE entries for the UK with 2022:
- there was no change in the rank order of the top ten highest entry subjects (and no change since 2020). Geography was again ranked sixth, with an entry of 293,319 (5.0%).
- geography saw a modest increase in entries (1.4% compared with 3.4% for all subjects).
Comparing GCSE outcomes, in 2023 the proportion of UK students achieving grade 7/A and above increased slightly from 2019.
In geography:
- 25% of students achieved grades 7/A and above in 2023, compared with 24.9% in 2019 (+0.1%)
- 65.6% of students achieved grades 4/C and above in 2023, compared with 65.8% in 2019 (-0.2%)
- 98.1% of students achieved grades 1/G and above in 2023, compared with 98.4% in 2019 (-0.3%).
Try out this DIY GCSE comparison spreadsheet to get a chart of your school’s GCSE results compared to the national picture. Simply download the spreadsheet and enter your school’s GCSE results to get an instant chart.
