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Original poster

Largest ever up-tick in GCSE maths standards?

62 replies

soon2bfree · 21/08/2026 09:27

The Government says thousands more students have achieved high GCSE maths grades this year:
www.gov.uk/government/news/maths-excellence-as-thousands-achieve-high-grades-at-gcse

My understanding is that grade boundaries are set each year to ensure that a similar proportion of students fall into each grade - a measure brought in to counter accusations of grade inflation.

If that's the case, surely the extra few thousand students achieving top grades only reflects the greater number of students sitting the test in this cohort - a cohort that is at/near the peak of a mini population boom?

If so, did a greater number achieved the lowest grades too?

Surely no matter how great the country's students are at maths, the same proportion will always fail because the bar to a pass will just get higher?

OP posts:
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faithfultoGeorgeMichael · 21/08/2026 12:25

@dustabsorber this is not true, the most recent changes made under Michael Gove have massively raised standards and made the exams significantly more challenging than they have been since O Level. You're views are 10 years out of date.

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 12:20

Exams have been dumbed down continuously since the 60s. I assumed that was about the level GCSE maths had reached.

butidontunderstand · 21/08/2026 12:04

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 11:29

It's due to questions like "Ahmed has 5 bananas, and he eats on and gives one to Aisha, how many bananas does he have left?" - 4 marks

No it’s really not. What makes you think it is?

faithfultoGeorgeMichael · 21/08/2026 12:04

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 12:02

I find it hard to believe that the kids vaping and doing wheelies in our local bus station are learning calculus.

Show quote history

and yet they are
A lot of the most brilliant minds on earth have been wildly experimental with drugs - you have a very limited world view point

faithfultoGeorgeMichael · 21/08/2026 12:02

In case the image does not appear here is a link: https://www.reddit.com/r/GCSE/comments/148mv3f/a_good_maths_question_to_attempt_if_youre_aiming/#lightbox

butidontunderstand · 21/08/2026 12:02

EastCoastDamsel · 21/08/2026 11:27

Yes,

I feel similar about the reporting around the failure percentages. IF grade boundaries are adjusted according to a normal distribution, surely it is expected that the proportion of students who pass/fail remain broadly similar YoY?

And this is why grade boundaries changing confuses me (easily done!). How can the number achieving a pass in GCSE maths increase, as we would surely want it to so we have a county of competent mathematicians, if when they do better they just move the grade boundaries?
I know someone will come along and explain it, but it does seem odd that we would never be in the situation where if all the kids taking the GCSE had the knowledge and understanding to pass, some still wouldn’t.

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 12:02

Stowickthevast · 21/08/2026 11:57

I assume you don't have children who are doing GCSE Maths?

DH and I both agree that some topics they are tackling are things that weren't done until A level when we were at school in the 90s.

Edited
Show quote history

I find it hard to believe that the kids vaping and doing wheelies in our local bus station are learning calculus.

faithfultoGeorgeMichael · 21/08/2026 11:59

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 11:29

It's due to questions like "Ahmed has 5 bananas, and he eats on and gives one to Aisha, how many bananas does he have left?" - 4 marks

Have you seen a maths GCSE paper recently? This is typical question. Stop belittling young people, every single 16 yo I know works a lot harder than anyone I was at school with ever did.

Stowickthevast · 21/08/2026 11:57

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 11:29

It's due to questions like "Ahmed has 5 bananas, and he eats on and gives one to Aisha, how many bananas does he have left?" - 4 marks

I assume you don't have children who are doing GCSE Maths?

DH and I both agree that some topics they are tackling are things that weren't done until A level when we were at school in the 90s.

FillTheGoldenCupWithRoses · 21/08/2026 11:40

Surely it depends? If people get the same exact marks they can hardly put one higher than the other. So there has to be a line where X number is a 7 and sometimes so many kids got the same exact marks that they all got a 7

dustabsorber · 21/08/2026 11:29

It's due to questions like "Ahmed has 5 bananas, and he eats on and gives one to Aisha, how many bananas does he have left?" - 4 marks

EastCoastDamsel · 21/08/2026 11:27

Yes,

I feel similar about the reporting around the failure percentages. IF grade boundaries are adjusted according to a normal distribution, surely it is expected that the proportion of students who pass/fail remain broadly similar YoY?

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