Boys continue to underperform at GCSE level, research finds
Last year, more than a fifth (21.8%) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades, at least a 7 or an A grade, down from 22% in 2023
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The “chronic” underperformance of boys at GCSEs should be treated as a “major issue” in the UK, according to the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham.
The director of the centre, Professor Alan Smithers, said boys are not being developed as “fully” as they could be, which could lead to a “decline in the nation’s economic competitiveness”.
He predicted girls will continue to be ahead of boys at GCSE level this year, ahead of results being published this week.
Last year, more than a fifth (21.8%) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades, at least a 7 or an A grade, down from 22% in 2023.
This was still higher than 2019, when 20.8% of GCSE entries were awarded top grades.
The proportion of total female entries awarded grade 7/A or above was 24.7% last year, 5.7 percentage points higher than total male entries (19.0%).
Smithers said: “The apparent under-performance of boys at this stage of education should be a matter of national concern. But because boys are habitually seen as privileged, it does not receive the attention it deserves.
“It could be we are seeing the emergence of a new normal in which case 2025 will resemble 2024, or the regulators could make a further push to get back to pre-pandemic levels.”