CBI responds to GCSE results day 2023

Robert West, CBI Head of Education & Skills, said: 

"Congratulations to all those receiving their GCSE and vocational technical qualification results today. Both students and teachers have shown great resilience in the face of a number of challenges, not least the disruption caused by the pandemic. Today we celebrate their accomplishments.

"As expected, we have seen grades at GCSE level return to pre-pandemic levels in England and we are seeing students opting for more vocational subjects such as computing and business studies. There are risks hidden within the fall in entries to languages, arts and design. A continued decline in student entries in subjects such as Design and Technology (D&T) could in fact hinder efforts to reduce skills shortages longer term in areas such as engineering and product design.

"The difference in performance between those who receive free school meals and those who do not widened in 2022, with this trend seemingly continuing this year. The COVID legacy is becoming one of widening inequalities, and we are yet to see the robust recovery plans to prevent this holding back young people as they move through their education into the future world of work.

"Equally, the gap between the performance of students in the North of England and students in the South widened further. It’s key that policymakers take much needed action on levelling up and regional growth – to boost the opportunities of students across the UK."