The Benefits of Meeting Key Grade Thresholds in High-Stakes Examinations. New Evidence From England

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8407516
AutoresJohn Jerrim (0000-0001-5705-7954, University College London, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen71
Número1
Páginas5-28
Fecha de publicación2023-01-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaBritish Journal of Educational Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0007-1005 • E-ISSN: 1467-8527
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00071005.2022.2033692
OpenAlexW4220793728
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas19

In England, failing to achieve a ‘good pass’ (C/4 grade) in key subjects is thought to have serious negative implications. Yet evidence on this issue remains relatively sparse. This paper therefore presents new evidence on the link between meeting a key threshold on high-stakes examination and a wide array of future outcomes. Using Next Steps survey data collected from around 4,000 young people in England, we explore the short-to-medium term benefits of achieving a ‘good pass’ (grade C/4) in English Language, double science and mathematics. Results from our regression analyses point towards a sizable association with future educational attainment; those who achieve a good pass in GCSE mathematics are around 5 percentage points more likely to hold a university degree by age 26 than observationally similar individuals who fail to meet this threshold. No link is found with future wellbeing and mental health, while results for labour market outcomes are somewhat mixed. The findings potentially motivate the need for GCSEs to move away from awarding a set of discrete grades and towards a continuous measurement scale. Alternatively, if discrete grades are to be retained, computer adaptive testing should be introduced for GCSEs to increase measurement precision around high-stakes grade boundaries

Association (psychology) · Computer security · Educational attainment · Geography · Key (lock) · Mathematics education · Point (geometry) · Political science · Scale (ratio) · Set (abstract data type) · Term (time) · Computer Science · Early Childhood Education and Development · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies · Mathematics · Psychology · School Choice and Performance