Exam Results

Examination Officer: Mrs J. Glasson
Email: jg@bishopwordsworths.org.uk

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2023

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

In the run up to this set of Key Stage 4 results the message from the exam boards was clear – school should expect a reduction from the previous high levels towards the outcomes in summer 2019. That is what has happened this year and, while the reduction from 2022 is fairly stark the outcomes are still very good for this set of students. The 155 boys in Bishop’s Year 11 gained nearly 64% of all of their papers at Grades 7-9, with 33 of the year group passing all of their papers at one of the top three grades.

This set of results comes at the end of several years’ determined effort for boys who had experienced education that was punctuated by the pandemic of course. They have been helped through those difficult times by the determination and creativity of their teachers, and the unwavering support of parents. They’ve done well, and, most importantly, will have gained the qualifications that they need for the next stage. For most that will mean A levels with us, but I wish all of our Year 11 good fortune wherever their next steps may lead…

SDS

BWS A Level Results Summer 2023

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

Given the advance media coverage both early this morning and during the past week you could be forgiven for thinking that this year’s A level cohort were on the edge of a cliff waiting for a considerable drop. The move back towards the top line performance numbers established back in summer 2019 has continued nationally, but of course it is the individual that matters on such a morning. I remember only too well what it was like, as a parent, waiting to discover what those critical letter grades might be. Current parents have my sympathy and understanding today – but of course for the vast majority of our students there is no edge of the abyss as they have done extremely well.

The numbers for our Year 13 are impressive. Over 75% of the grades were at A*-B; at 190 this was our biggest year group yet. Our students secured 20 places to study at Oxford and Cambridge. Some 52 of our boys and girls gained all of their results at A*/A grade, and an extraordinary 13 at the top of the year group passed every A level paper that they took at A*. The strength of their performance will have once again put their school in the premier league this year. What an amazing set of outcomes!

Two years ago this year group were entering new territory. They had not been tested fully at GCSE, they were by some way our biggest coeducational year group so far and the environment for study was still blighted by the aftershocks of the pandemic. They have worked well and, supported by parents and challenged by teachers they have had a wonderful two years learning and maturing here in the heart of The Close. I am hugely proud of them all, and it’s so very exciting to see and hear about their plans for what is to come next.

SDS

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2022

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

Chapter two of this year’s exam outcomes has duly arrived, accompanied by the warnings from the exam authorities to expect reductions in the grades achieved due to the post-pandemic readjustments that will be under way for the next couple of years. In fact the headline figure for BWS of 76% Grades 9-7 is almost identical to the figure that was distilled in 2021 by the teacher assessment process, so I am very pleased and frankly a little relieved! An unprecedented context created more uncertainty for everyone, but thanks to a clear and level headed approach by teachers, technology to repair the cracks and great dollops of hard work our boys have come through with flying colours.

We should in no way take this for granted. At 159 our Year 11 was by some way our biggest yet, as the demographic expansion of the school completed this year. Add to that the cumulative effects of lockdowns/remote learning and occasional waves of infection and it is evident that this year group has performed really well. Their excellent grades should enable them to look forward with confidence to their next challenges – either within the sixth form at BWS or at one of the other excellent local post-16 providers. I wish them all luck, and would like to say a heartfelt thanks to all of my colleagues who have done a superb job in supporting our boys once again.

SDS

BWS A Level Results Summer 2022

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

I suspect that the 18 year-olds who received their A level results this morning just want to be viewed as a normal group of youngsters, after over two years of strangeness. Covid derailed their GCSE session in a very complicated way, and they have probably been the most disrupted of all over the past three years as successive waves of infection spread through the population. They have endured lock downs, online learning and mass testing and their broader education has been a constant battle against adversity. Their A level courses have been anything but normal…and of course huge thanks is due to everyone who has supported them through some difficult times.

All of which makes this morning’s sparkling results even more pleasing to see. Our biggest ever year group can be very proud of what they have achieved; at 81% A*-B the headline figure is barely changed from last summer (when teacher assessments were given in place of exams) and this represents very significant progress on our last set of A levels stats in summer 2019. The most important thing of all is that the vast majority of Bishop’s girls and boys have got what they need for their destinations – places at prestigious universities across the UK.

In a tweet on Leavers’ Day for Year 13 I described our first co-ed sixth form group as ‘pioneers, trail blazers, ambassadors and role models’. They are all of that and much more, as they have done so much to enrich life here at the very heart of Salisbury both in and beyond lessons. We have been privileged to have had the company of such an impressive group of young men and women, and I wish them all the luck in the world as they take their next steps beyond school.

SDS

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2021

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

Those of you who, like me, were listening to Radio 4’s ‘Today’ on the way into work this morning will have heard the evidence of the collateral damage wrought by the pandemic on education over the past two years. In 2019-2020 as much as 14 weeks of classroom time lost, and in the following year perhaps another 8 weeks. Despite the facility of digital learning, the innovation of teachers nationwide and the determination of young people to stay on board that type of incursion to face to face learning will have had a dramatic impact, so it is heartening to see and hear about the achievements of the current GCSE cohort this morning.

There will be attempts in the media and by other commentators to make comparisons with previous years and to bemoan the effects of perceived grade inflation. That’s not the point surely; the question has to focus on the individual at such times rather than the system, and the truth is that in summer 2021 Year 11 boys and girls have worked hard and done well in adversity. The strength of the overall grade profile means that the vast majority of the Year 11 boys at Bishop’s will have secured the grades that they need to take their next step – in almost all cases this will be to A level courses, with most staying on here with us.

This is a very exciting morning, despite the fact that results are now accessible on line and acceptances are also being dealt with digitally. What lies ahead for the boys and girls who will be joining our biggest-ever Year 12 is a post-16 experience in the heart of Salisbury, a full (and hopefully uninterrupted!) programme of learning and activities and of course a return to exams through their sixth form years. I heartily congratulate all our local 16 year old students on what they have achieved and wish them luck with what is to come.

SDS

BWS A Level Results Summer 2021

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

This year, like last summer, is unusual when it comes to most things and exam results are no exception. The cancellation of the formal exam sessions meant that the subject grades for each student were arrived at via a different route. Though the finals grades were still awarded by the exam boards the grades were a distillation of various different forms of assessment through each A level course, with the greatest weight being given to work that was carried out under high levels of control (ie under supervised conditions in school). The assessment procedures were subject to rigorous quality assurance, both within school and by each exam board, and so we can be confident that the grades awarded to the candidates are an accurate reflection of their potential.

That doesn't happen by accident. The complexity and sheer volume of work that went in to the in-school assessment process this year was simply unprecedented. I felt very proud of all of my colleagues as I signed off the results for Bishop's and submitted them for exam board scrutiny. Because of the Herculean efforts of the Bishop's team through the past academic year our boys have been able to show what they can achieve.

Headline figures are what Heads of schools invariably fixate on in August. Much more important however are the individual stories of students who have coped with everything that the pandemic has thrown at them and come through so strongly. Our boys in Year 13 have a very exciting time in front of them - almost all will be starting courses at competitive universities in a few weeks' time with the prospect of a world that is opening up to opportunity once more. I wish them all good fortune as they take their first steps in the world beyond BWS.

SDS

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2020

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

It does feel unusual to have no boys in school this morning to receive results at GCSE level, but I am sure that there are lots of happy students and parents celebrating at home. No exams this year as all of our Year 11 will be getting Centre Assessed Grades, but nonetheless there is a great deal for them to be proud of after several years of study.

The headline figures put the 2020 cohort at the same level as last year’s group, and their results were pretty stellar (see GCSE Subject Results 2019 for details), so I am very pleased for them all. Most important are the individual outcomes; I am confident that our Year 11 boys are in an excellent position to be confident about the future, and I am really looking forward to seeing our new group of co-educational Year 12 students start in September.

SDS

BWS A level Results Summer 2020

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

In this strangest of years the results of the BWS boys at A level have held up very well indeed. The headline figures are impressive; 81% of the grades were at A*-B for our 121 boys in the Upper Sixth, 40 of them gained all A*-A grades including 11 who passed all of their papers at A*. Much more importantly however the quality of these outcomes should mean that our boys should secure their first choice university places with few problems, so the hard work by them, and their teachers and the heartache for parents should end in a very good place. Well done boys!

The results this year are, of course, based on Centre Assessed Grades (or teacher predictions). The vast majority of these were left unchanged in BWS’ case which is a vindication of the skill and professionalism of the teaching staff here. I am very pleased that my staff rose to the challenge so well in these most unusual circumstances.

SDS

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2019

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

Following on from last week’s strong showing at A level, our Year 11 boys have delivered well at GCSE this summer. Overall 71% of all grades were at 9, 8 or 7; impressively the most common grade overall was 9, with over a quarter of the boys’ papers being graded at this top level. Of the total of 124 boys entered, 27 gained every one of their GCSEs at grade 7 and above. Two boys passed every paper they took at grade 9, an extraordinarily strong performance. The average grade overall was 7.3, or A+ in old money…

There were two very pleasing ‘extras’ this year. The 31 boys who took GCSE Further Maths all gained at least a grade B; more than 87% of them gained A*/A grades. Also 7 of our boys sat their challenging GCSE Mandarin Chinese papers this summer. They all gained at least grade 8, with 5 of them scoring the highest grade possible (9). These results are a great credit to the boys after two hard years’ work, and I am really grateful to my staff for supporting them to gain such pleasing outcomes.

The future is bright for this set of boys, most of whom will stay on with us for their A levels in the years to come.

SDS

BWS A level Results Summer 2019

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

In defiance of the slightly changeable August weather this morning Bishop’s was full of happy boys receiving their A level results and celebrating with their mates. By any measure they did well this year – a 100% pass rate is always pleasing, but a better measure of the calibre of their performance is the fact that nearly 73% of the grades were at A*-B, and 21% were at the top A* level.

Most importantly, of all that hard work and success will mean that our boys will take their places in the most competitive university courses throughout the UK and abroad, including a record 19 at Oxbridge!

Well done to all of them, and thank you for the huge efforts of my staff and parents in helping our boys get where they want to be; these fantastic results show what happens here, as we look forward to inviting girls as well as boys to Bishop’s sixth form in September 2020.

SDS

2017/19 BWS A Level Results including girls

Only results taken by students on roll at BWS are officially counted in measures of performance. Currently, therefore, girls’ results from subjects wholly taught at BWS are not included, whilst the boys’ results from subjects wholly taught at SWGS are included. This means that the credit for teaching those subjects is not reflected in the published data.

The table below is based on data from the websites of both BWS and SWGS for 2017, 2018 and 2019. It shows outcomes for BWS if results from subjects wholly taught at SWGS are removed and the girls’ results from subjects wholly taught at BWS are included. Subjects that were jointly taught have been included in the results from the ‘home’ school.

A more comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2018

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

This summer is notable for being the first year when the vast majority of GCSE qualifications taken were of the ‘reformed’ variety – in most cases that meant no coursework, more written examination and more demanding questions (allegedly!).

Given those circumstances, the 124 educational guinea pigs in Year 11 have done really well, with almost 70% of the grades at 9-7, and every boy gaining at least a grade 5 (a ‘strong pass’) in both Maths and English. The average point score per entry was 6.9 (in other words an A grade in old money). 17 of the boys in the year group gained all A*/A grades, and there were also 6 boys who scored A^ (A* with distinction) in their GCSE Further Maths; the other 20 who took this new qualification to BWS scored either A* or A grades.

Another summer of success, well done to the boys, their teachers and their long-suffering parents who will have toiled in support in the background…

BWS A level Results Summer 2018

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

It’s that time of year once again – when the results of two years’ worth of hard work by our sixth form boys become clear for all to see. It’s always slightly nerve-wracking for all involved, but once again the boys have delivered. The 144 boys in Year 13 gained 72% of their A level papers at A*-B; 34 of the boys passed all of their papers at A*/A grade, and the school has come to life briefly this morning (in holiday time) with excitable teenagers, braving the rain to celebrate their achievements.

From here their paths will lead all across the UK and abroad as they take up places in the most competitive of universities. Good luck to all of them – and thank you to everyone who has built such firm foundations for their success over the past two years…

BWS GCSE Results Summer 2017

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

Context is critical when exam results are published, and the context for this set of results is complex. Maths and English GCSEs have, for the first time, switched over to the 9-1 grading system, whereas the rest of the subjects that boys have taken have retained the A*-G letter grades that most people comprehend and are accustomed to. The key thing to remember is that there are two ‘anchor points’ that enable some comparison between the two scales. The base of grade C is marked by 4 on the new scale, and grade A is said to be equivalent to 7. Using this as a rule of thumb the Year 11 boys at BWS gained 67% of their papers at either 9-7 or A*/A grades this year. Over 11% of the Maths and English papers were at the new ‘super A*’ grade 9.

GCSE results day is always a good occasion, as there are lots of happy boys who have got the grades that they need for the next step in their education. This summer’s GCSEs show that they have once again done the business; the vast majority of our Year 11 boys will stay on for their A levels at BWS, and we will be joined as usual by a substantial number of others who have performed very well at other schools in Salisbury and further afield. Well done to all of them, and thank you to the teachers and parents who have helped them to do the hard yards over the last 2 years.

BWS A level Results Summer 2017

A comprehensive subject-by-subject breakdown can be found at the bottom of this page.

Those who listened to the ‘Today’ Programme on Radio 4 this morning will have wondered, like I did, what this year’s A level results were going to be. The answer is good news – the grades are a significant improvement on last summer’s scores. 77% of the A level papers for boys in Year 13 at BWS were A*-B, which is an increase of 8% on this headline figure compared to summer 2016. Of more significance however are the individual success stories which will be of our boys who will be off to top class universities across the UK and further afield.

Huge congratulations to all of the class of 2017 and good luck for the future. Well done to all of the teachers and parents; your months of hard work, support and challenge for the boys has paid off handsomely!