Research and analysis

Inter-subject comparability in GCSEs and A levels in summer 2024

A statistical investigation of the comparability of grading standards across subjects for GCSEs and A levels in summer 2024 and compared with 2023 and 2019.

• From: Ofqual
• Published: 24 July 2025

Applies to England

Documents

Inter-subject comparability in GCSEs and A levels in summer 2024 (accessible)

Ref: Ofqual/25/7240

HTML

Inter-subject comparability in GCSEs and A levels in summer 2024

Ref: Ofqual/25/7240

PDF, 3.66 MB, 38 pages

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Details

This technical report, which follows on from analyses undertaken by He and Black (2020), He and Cadwallader (2022, 2023), and Brylka and He (2024) uses statistical methods to investigate the comparability of grading standards across subjects for GCSEs and A levels in summer 2024. Inter-subject comparability is explored over a period of 3 years:

• summer 2024, when grades were awarded through normal exams with support materials in the form of formulae and revised equations sheets available to students in GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science (Department for Education, 2023a; Ofqual, 2024a)
• summer 2023, when grades were awarded through normal exams (first time after the COVID-19 pandemic) with protection applied to guard against the potential for national performance to be lower than in 2019 (Department for Education, 2023b; Ofqual, 2022, 2023), and
• summer 2019, when grades were awarded through normal exams (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Authors

• Astera Brylka
• Qingping He

Published 24 July 2025