GCSE Results 2020
This year’s U5th at St Benedict’s have received the school’s best ever GCSE results: 46.8% of all exams are graded 9-8 (A*) and 72.5% are grades 9-7 (A*-A).
Year 11 students at St Benedict's have received their GCSE grades today, which for the first time have been entirely awarded by teacher assessment rather than examination after the government cancelled exams amid the Covid pandemic in March. Like our A level students, they have had a long and anxious wait, complicated by uncertainty.
The Headmaster, Andrew Johnson, said:
“We recognise how extraordinarily stressful exam results have been for GCSE and A level candidates this year, with the uncertainty and confusion caused by last minute changes only adding to the anxiety our students have felt. We have done our best to support our students pastorally throughout lockdown and in the days immediately preceding the issue of these results. We have a very able cohort of GCSE candidates and, in the unfortunate circumstances, we believe awarding the Centre Assessed Grades is the best outcome for them. The ‘silver lining’ is that they have done very well, receiving an excellent set of results, and are now able to move on smoothly to sixth form study in September.
"The process of awarding the results this year means that results around the country are somewhat higher than in previous years: nationally, grades 9-7 (A*-A) are 5.2% higher in 2020 than in 2019. This year’s U5th at St Benedict’s have received the school’s best ever GCSE results: 46.8% of all exams are graded 9-8 (A*) and 72.5% are grades 9-7 (A*-A). The school’s previous best ever grades 9-7 was 66.1%, achieved in 2018.
"Naturally, the vast majority of our GCSE students are delighted with their results, which are testimony to their hard work and significant academic ability. I am also delighted that this year’s A level and GCSE results give further evidence of the continuing rise in academic standards at St Benedict’s.
"Above all, I congratulate our GCSE students on their resilience. As well as coping with the Covid 19 lockdown and the need to adapt to online learning at short notice, they have also dealt admirably with the extra stress and anxiety caused by the process for awarding results this year, and in particular the confusion caused by last minute changes made by the government. Now, we look forward to welcoming all of our students back safely for the new academic year, and to seeing our GCSE candidates moving forward in their A level studies.”
