THE percentage of children reaching the benchmark for GCSE results across the country increased marginally in the summer of 2012.
Department for Education figures revealed that 59.4 per cent of students picked up five grades between A* and C including English and maths – up from 59 per cent in 2011 and 53 per cent in 2010. However, the proportion of students achieving five A* to C grades in any subjects did fall.
The release of exam results back in August sparked controversy over the way English papers had been marked.
Thousands of students got lower-than-expected grades because of tougher boundaries – there was a 1.5 per cent fall in the proportion of students getting a C or above.
It led to calls for students to be allowed to sit the exams again.
However an investigation by exams watchdog Ofqual found the new boundaries were justified as they believed in some cases teachers had inflated students' coursework marks.
According to the figures, the area of the UK with the highest proportion of students reaching the benchmark was the Isles of Scilly, with 86.4 per cent, while 79.6 per cent did so in Kensington and Chelsea in London.
The worst-performing area, which was Knowsley in Lancashire, where 40.9 per cent reached the grade.