All 9s at GCSE….

[CurlewKate]

Less than 1.5% of candidates get all 9s at GCSE. I wonder why so many of them seem to be Mumsnetter’s children! 🤣

That stat doesn't include igcse's so if you go to a private school and take an igcse any subject you aren't included in the 1.5%.

@CurlewKate its quite something isn't it 😁

That’s still a lot of actual people. 1.5% of a big number is still quite large

1,270 in 2024, according to the gov.uk site.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographic-gcse-results-2024/infographics-for-gcse-results-2024-accessible

Where I live (grammar area), the vast majority of dc take 10 GCSEs. 545 pupils scored 9s across all 10 GCSEs in 2024.

it is exceptionally rare. My friend’s son scored all 9s and then 4 A* at A level. But he is extraordinarily bright.

IGCSE grades are also 2 levels lower than GCSE.

So GCSE 7 = IGCSE 9.

So those expensive private schools are allowed to give their students a much easier ride. Gov won't allow state schools to do the easier IGCSEs.

Active discrimination towards state school students.

That makes it a fairly pointless qualification then - if you can’t exceed a “real” 7, and if every grade is actually 2 grades below. Is this an actual fact, or a grumpy assumption?

I'm an examiner.

Plus, ask any teacher who taught IGCSEs in the brief period 10-15 years ago when state schools trialled them.

Not pointless when they are accepted as equal grades, while actually not being comparable. It's why private schools offer them. Guaranteed higher grades.

It is not a fact that igcse grades are two grades lower than GCSEs

Sorry, but it is. It's why private schools do them. Much easier.

For god’s sake, this is surely a lighthearted thread!

I think that's down to a combination of things

• People whose DC do have all 9s and love to keep mentioning it at every opportunity
• People whose DC got 9s in their top 8 GCSEs, which are often the ones asked for, and then ignoring the other grades
• People saying "mostly 9s" and you reading that as "all 9s"
• People living in fantasy land and making it up!

So we can just pay for the exams and sit iGCSEs?

You can. You just need to find an exam centre (usually a school or college) who will accept external candidates.

The exams ARE different but there are loads of past papers online to practise with. Maybe get a tutor for a bit of specific teaching because the papers are different to the UK GCSEs (easier, but still a bit different).

Irrelevant- but I love your user name!

I had no idea it was such a low %. Neither my ds1 nor ds2 who is currently sitting will get such high grades,so doesn't affect me, but I am interested in the stats.

Maybe it's because us Mumsnetters are a cut above the rest! 🤣

DC1 got mostly 9s, 4xAstar and then a 1st in a Masters.

DC2 didn't do so well but after A Levels we discovered they were dyslexic and after y1 of uni, we realised DC2 also had ADHD. This story is probably typical of Mumnsnetters DCs who don't get results like DC1 🤣

Easier? Are they? Google tells my they’re harder? Not that I’ve done research beyond the last 5 minutes…

Actually scratch that. Not harder or easier. Just different (slightly, and depending on the subject). Anyway, 2 grade difference seems a bit of a stretch….

IGCSEs are accepted to be harder than GCSEs with broader syllabus.
Navigating the differences: Is IGCSE harder than GCSE?

OP, if you base your view on this article, than sorry, the author is just stupid
IGCSE maths preparation is easier than GCSE | GCSEs | The Guardian

As to the original question about MN kids having all 9s - I believe that MN still attracts higher socio-economic demographics and generally parents heavily invested in education, significant proportion of them have kids in highly selective and/or private schools, percentage of such parents on MN is higher than national average, so kids results are expected to be higher than national average

I base my view on teaching both of them. And examining them.

Where I live there is 1 really good school and one rubbish one. At the rubbish one someone got all 9’s last year. He is now at the local colleague where the average grade is C- and he has just got a D in his chemistry exam so is re taking it. Just a bit of trivia.

Are they? Can you give examples?

My DD has a friend who got 13 x 9s at their state comprehensive school in SE London in 2019. But I think she was one of only a handful across the whole country in all schools at the time.

Perhaps her Mum is a Mumsnetter?

What? All of them?