On cloud 9... first pupils hit the mark

TOP pupils . . . Lucy Scoltock, Georgia Robinson, Megan Morris, Molly England, Saira Noor and Lareb Asim at Hathershaw College this morning

GCSE pupils made history today as they became the first to get new grades.

They have received numerical grades in English literature, English language and maths as part the biggest overhaul of exams in England for a generation.

These are the first of the new "tougher" GCSEs to be introduced and a grade 9 is now the highest mark and a grade 1 the lowest. But pupils still received the familiar A* to G grades in other subjects which will change to the new system by 2020.

Fewer pupils who would have got an A* in English and maths were expected to get a grade 9. There are also six grades covering the four A* to C grades to differentiate between the brightest pupils.

Among the first to open her results was Hathershaw College pupil Lareb Asim (16) who was delighted with a grade 9 in maths and an 8 in English alongside 4A*s and 3As.

Results

The 16-year-old, who will do A-levels at Oldham Sixth Form College, hopes to become a barrister and said: "I have had so many sleepless nights, so it is a big relief to get the results. I'm quite impressed ­- I did better than I expected."

The new grades are part of the overhaul of GCSEs introduced by former education secretary Michael Gove. Courses are being redesigned to cover more challenging content, focussing on final exams rather than coursework.

A grade 4 ­- equivalent to the lower two thirds of a C grade ­- is a "standard pass". This is what pupils will need to ensure that they do not need to retake maths and English. A grade 5 ­- equivalent to a C+ or a B- is a "strong pass".

The proportion of pupils gaining standards and strong passes will be included in the league tables. But the main performance measure is Progress 8, the progress made by pupils in eight key subjects.

Hathershaw College was the first Oldham school to announce its results, with a higher than expected 60 per cent of pupils gaining at least a grade 4 in both English and maths, and 35.6 per cent getting higher grades.

The school described this as a "huge relief" amid the changes and uncertainly around where grade boundaries would be set.

Principal Dave McEntee said: "I'm delighted with these results, given the significantly more challenging curriculum."

The new grades have led to confusion among some parents and businesses.

And the school leaders' union the NAHT has warned the changes mean that direct comparisons cannot be made with last year's results.

General secretary Paul Whiteman, said: "Until all of the reformed GCSE's are fully implemented and we've seen a few more years of the 9-1 system, those who seek to hold schools to account should refrain from comparing this year's results to last."