Thursday, 18th of August, was Results Day 2022 for many students in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, in what marks the first time students have sat traditional written exams since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The Oxford Blue brings you a results day roundup: everything you need to know now that the dust has settled on the big day.

And the (popularity) results are in…

Mathematics remained the most popular subject for 2022, accounting for 11.3% of all papers sat, with Psychology becoming the second most popular subject, amounting to 10.5% of all recorded entries. 

Midway point

To account for the issues and disruption experienced across the education system in the past few years, grade boundaries were more generous in comparison to pre-pandemic years. The boundaries this year were decided based on a believed “midway point” between 2019—where 25% of all papers received an A/A* grade—and 2021 results, when teacher-assessed grades led to a sharp increase in top marks awarded. Because of this, the proportion of top grades—those graded at an A-A* mark—have fallen from the record highs noted in the pandemic, but still remain higher than pre-pandemic 2019. 36.4% of A-levels were marked at A-A* in 2022, in comparison to the recorded 44.8% in 2021. 

North-South divide: an 8% gap

This year’s Results Day has not been without its criticism. Reported by the Guardian, the difference of top grades recorded has once again been grounded in regional differences, and inequalities in education between the state and private sectors. Although the gap between the South and the North was between 4-5% pre-pandemic, it has now increased to an 8% difference.

Private-state disparity

The results also shed light on some of the disparity reported in the previous two years, in which private schools saw a greater increase in higher grades under the centre-assessed grading system than state-school students did. The proportion of top grades achieved at such independent schools dropped to 28.7% this year, compared with close to 40% in 2021, a drop of 11%. This year, the gap between independent and secondary comprehensive schools in the number of students graded A or A* dropped to 27%, down from 31% in 2021.

Delays for BTEC and T Level results

BTEC and T Level results were also due to be released on the 18th August. Notably, this year saw the first cohort of T Level students graduating from their two-year vocational courses. Introduced in 2020, the qualifications are designed to allow post-GCSE students the chance to study for one technical-based qualification that is equivalent to three A-level grades, while allowing them to undertake industry placements to develop their skills in the workplace. Among students receiving T-levels, 370 have been accepted to University or other higher education courses. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education agreed with Ofqual to take into account COVID-19 disruption, in order that T Level students are not disadvantaged compared to A Level students. There were delays to a substantial number of BTEC and T Level results. Pearson updated their website on the 26th August to say that all eligible students have now received their results – more than a week after results day. On the same day, OCR still had 200 results to process for students with “potential higher education progression needs”. Universities have been holding places until the 31st August in order to account for these delays. Ofqual, the qualifications regulator, will be reviewing the causes of these delays with the hope of preventing a recurrence in future years.