Education
Girls outperform boys at GCSE and A level
Pupils achieving five or more GCSE grades A*-C or equivalent, UK
Girls generally perform better than boys at GCSE and at GCE A level (or equivalent) in the UK. In 2001/02, 58 per cent of girls in their last year of compulsory education achieved five or more GCSE grades A*-C, compared with 47 per cent of boys. Forty three per cent of young women gained two or more A levels or equivalent compared with 34 per cent of young men.
The difference in achievement between the sexes starts at an early age. In England from key stage 1 (5-7 years old) through to key stage 4 (14-16 years old) girls score consistently higher than boys, though the difference is much less marked in maths and science than in English.
Young people achieving two or more GCE A levels or equivalent, UK
Over recent years there has been an increase in the proportion of both young women and young men in the UK who gain two or more GCE A levels (or equivalent). This increase has been more marked among women. Between 1992/93 and 2001/02 the proportion of women gaining this result more than doubled from 20 per cent to 43 per cent. Over the same period the proportion of men increased from 18 per cent to 34 per cent.
At A level, women outperformed men in virtually all subject groups in 2000/01. With the exception of only General Studies, English Literature and some languages, a greater proportion of women than men achieved grades A-C.
Women also outperform men in vocational qualifications - 29 per cent of young women in schools and colleges gained a distinction for their Advanced General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) in 2000/01, compared with 17 per cent of young men.
Although Business was the most popular subject for both men and women taking an Advanced GNVQ, the next most popular subjects differed between the sexes. Twenty five per cent of women took Health and Social Care compared with 1 per cent of men, whereas 22 per cent of men took Information Technology compared with 4 per cent of women.
Among those who took first degrees in 2002, men and women were almost equally likely to gain a first - 10 per cent of men compared with 9 per cent of women. However, a greater proportion of women achieved an upper second - 49 per cent of women compared with 40 per cent of men.
Sources: Education and Training Statistics for the United Kingdom, 2002, Department for Education and Skills; National Assembly for Wales; Scottish Executive; Northern Ireland Department of Education; Higher Education Statistics Agency
Notes: Data for pupils attaining five or more GCSE grades A*-C are as a percentage of all pupils in their last year of compulsory education. Data for 1992/93 to 1994/95 are for Great Britain.
Data for GCE A level achievement count 2 AS levels as 1 A level pass. Data from 2000/01 are not on the same basis as earlier years and data prior to 1995/96 refer to school pupils only.
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