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15/08/2002
Strong performance from local A-level students
Exam result figures released today by the Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) show that local students have performed strongly in their A-levels.
The performance of this year’s A-level students, the first to benefit from two years of study under a new exam regime, shows a rise in the percentage awarded top 'A' grades from 24.6% to 28.1%.
This means that Northern Ireland's A-level students increased the performance gap between themselves and their peers in the rest of the UK, where the equivalent figure was 20.7%.
The CCEA reported that the overall pass rate in Northern Ireland has improved with 96.4% of entries achieving a grade in the A–E range, up by more than 4%. At AS-level there was good news too with the overall pass rate, those acheiving grades A to E, rising to almost 94%, as compared to 92.5% in 2001.
Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive of the CCEA, congratulated all the young people receiving their grades and said that they had achieved record results in examinations that were "every bit as rigorous and testing" as in previous years.
"Our students owe a very great deal to the excellent teachers in our schools and colleges. The successful introduction of the new A-levels here in Northern Ireland has been greatly helped by a dedicated and talented profession who along with the students got to grips with the new system very quickly. My congratulations go to them also," added Mr Boyd.
Mr Boyd said he was in no doubt as to the main reason for this year’s record performance, which he attributed to the introduction of the new format A-levels.
Introduced in September 2000, the new system enabled students in lower sixth to choose between four and five AS-levels with the first exams taking place in June 2001.
The study of more subjects in the lower sixth has meant these students were in a better position than ever before to choose their strongest subjects for full A-level study in the upper sixth.
The figures also revealed that while boys are closing the gap, girls continued to outperform them by attaining 3.5% more grade A results.
The CCEA will issue the GCSE results on Tuesday August 20.
(SP)
The performance of this year’s A-level students, the first to benefit from two years of study under a new exam regime, shows a rise in the percentage awarded top 'A' grades from 24.6% to 28.1%.
This means that Northern Ireland's A-level students increased the performance gap between themselves and their peers in the rest of the UK, where the equivalent figure was 20.7%.
The CCEA reported that the overall pass rate in Northern Ireland has improved with 96.4% of entries achieving a grade in the A–E range, up by more than 4%. At AS-level there was good news too with the overall pass rate, those acheiving grades A to E, rising to almost 94%, as compared to 92.5% in 2001.
Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive of the CCEA, congratulated all the young people receiving their grades and said that they had achieved record results in examinations that were "every bit as rigorous and testing" as in previous years.
"Our students owe a very great deal to the excellent teachers in our schools and colleges. The successful introduction of the new A-levels here in Northern Ireland has been greatly helped by a dedicated and talented profession who along with the students got to grips with the new system very quickly. My congratulations go to them also," added Mr Boyd.
Mr Boyd said he was in no doubt as to the main reason for this year’s record performance, which he attributed to the introduction of the new format A-levels.
Introduced in September 2000, the new system enabled students in lower sixth to choose between four and five AS-levels with the first exams taking place in June 2001.
The study of more subjects in the lower sixth has meant these students were in a better position than ever before to choose their strongest subjects for full A-level study in the upper sixth.
The figures also revealed that while boys are closing the gap, girls continued to outperform them by attaining 3.5% more grade A results.
The CCEA will issue the GCSE results on Tuesday August 20.
(SP)
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