Welcoming the first results in the new GCSE exam system, Policy Exchange’s Head of Education John Blake said:
“We needed these reforms to increase the amount of content being studied and make the qualifications more demanding. The results show that the new GCSEs are on course to achieve their aims – broadly similar numbers of students achieving 4 and 7 (the old C and A grades) means students can be confident they have the results they deserve.
“At the same time, the increased differentiation amongst high performing students with the new 9 grade will be helpful for universities to pick out the most able students. The results achieved by student in leading free schools – one of the government’s flagship programmes – have been truly extraordinary and shows what enormous value they have added to our school system.”