It has emerged that schools across the UAE are now registering their best GCSE results ever and thousands of students set a record new standards. On Thursday institutions across the country released phenomenal results with many of them recording a higher number of students scoring 9 or the equivalent of A*.
In 2017, the grading system was changed to provide a wider margin between the high achievers by coming up with Grade 9 which is above the A* grade. Some of the students have lauded GCSE as a pass to A-levels or vocational courses which are requisite for admittance to reputable universities globally.
For Tracy Crowder-Cloe, the principal of one of the schools that performed admirably – Cranleigh Abu Dhabi – the results seemed more than satisfactory. “This year 28% of our students gained a Grade 9, the highest ever seen here in our school; these grades set a foundation for their progression including the choice of A- level subjects or BTEC routes she said while explaining the relevance of the results for University intakes.
GCSE grades scale is numerical with a higher value which is 9 while the least value is 1. For context:
- Grade 9= above an A*
- Grade 8: between A* and A
- Grade 7 = to an A
- Grade 6 = slightly above the B faculty
- Grade 4 = equal to a C
When asked for a comment on this, Simon Crane, the Head Teacher of Brighton College Dubai said that the results were spectacular; of the 254 students that the college is hosting, 57 students scored a Grade 9 up from 54 students in the previous year. “This year, 40 percent of the grades fall between 8 and 9 We have consistent improvements year on year, which are critical for our university placement,” he continued.
A total of 23 schools, 3828 students in UAE and Qatar sat for their GCSE this year and the outcome has shown great progress across the Gems Education network. The learners obtained 3,617 Grade 9s, 22% obtained 8 – 9 further 40% obtained 7 – 9 only.
Some of the schools registered a massive improvement. Jumeirah College Dubai said that 27% of learner achieved Grade 9, while Gems Wellington International School as well experienced 26% of its entries get to Grade 9. Holding on to the above argument, at Gems Cambridge International Private School Sharjah, 45% of the entries gained 8 to 9 grades respectively.
