Students received their GCSE/Level 2 results today at the Gibraltar College, Bayside and Westside Schools. Like the A Level/Level 3 results issued on Tuesday, the results were issued electronically.

Despite the challenges that this academic year has provided for our students and teachers, they have once again risen to the occasion with a remarkable total of 286 grades at level 9 (the top grade attainable at GCSE) being obtained, 104 at Bayside and 182 at Westside. When compared to last academic year, this represents an increase in the number of top grades being awarded to students in our 2 secondary schools.

Equally impressive are the 2672 grades 9-1 obtained by students out of a maximum of 2685 grades awarded, representing a 9-1 pass rate of 99.5%.

Also important to highlight is the fact that this year, for the first time, a cohort of students have obtained a qualification in a vocational Level 2 Hair and Beauty course delivered in our secondary schools.

As all families in our community will be aware, our GCSE/Level 2 students have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from the interruptions to in-school learning that the GCSE/Level 2 students have contended with, as they worked towards completing their courses, they also found themselves having the summer examination session cancelled. In order to be able to issue results and award qualifications, the UK examination boards asked centres to assess students using a range of tools, to enable teachers to award students with teacher assessed grades. Our schools devised a series of assessments in order to ensure teachers could assess students’ performance accurately and provide examination boards with collated evidence which justified the teacher assessment grades awarded.

Our teachers worked diligently, firstly to establish an appropriate internal series of assessments, and subsequently to assess and moderate students’ performance, so as to provide these teacher assessed grades for all students. These teacher assessed grades were then passed onto the UK in order to enable the examination boards to issue results. The results the students have received today have been awarded by the UK examination boards on the basis of what our teachers submitted to the boards.

As in previous years, the Department of Education will be reporting the 9-1 pass rates as opposed to the traditional A*- C pass rates that individuals might be accustomed to see.

'It is important for students, parents, prospective employers and members of the public to recognise that every grade is valuable in the context of each student's education. Every grade attained by our students during this process represents a milestone in their learning journey and it is important that we celebrate the successes of all of our students and see the value in all of their grades.'

'It is also important to recognise the achievements of those students who have attended the Gibraltar College. Year on year, the Gibraltar College offers students an opportunity to build on their educational experiences and add value to their academic portfolio after leaving our secondary schools. This year, students at the Gibraltar College have received 89 pass grades out of a possible 91, representing a 98% 9-1 pass rate. Additionally, a total of 64 pass grades out of a possible 73 were achieved by students following vocational or vocationally assessed courses. This year, for the first time, a cohort of students have had the opportunity to obtain a qualification in a Technical Award in Hairdressing, a course which builds on the basic skills developed in the course being offered at our secondary schools.'

The Director of Education Jackie Mason commented, “We would like to congratulate our students, staff and parents on today’s amazing GCSE results. Our students have adapted and overcome challenges during the past two years leading to the culmination of these results. Every single educational journey needs to be celebrated today and our dedicated staff will be at hand to advise students on the next step in their journey.”

Minister for Education Dr John Cortes said, “I am extremely proud that the efforts of our students and the time that our teachers invest in supporting them has been recognised in the GCSE results published today. I am delighted to see the first results from our vocational programmes at our secondary schools and our College and am looking forward to seeing the scope of these subjects increase over the next few academic years. It has been an incredibly challenging year for our students, their parents and their teachers, and these grades are not just the culmination of two years worth of education, but of a journey throughout our education system, starting when these students walked into our reception classes in our primary schools. Each and every one of these grades represents a learning journey that our students have experienced in our education system. I wish all of our students the very best for their future endeavours.”