Mid-Ulster pupils digest GCSE results

The number of pupils in Northern Ireland receiving A* to C grades is rising as more entrants sit the exams.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said local pupils continue to perform strongly.

According to the JCQ, the proportion of English and mathematics entries awarded A* to C grades this year has risen.

English is up 0.6 percentage points to 68.8% and mathematics has risen from 62.9% in 2012 to 64.6% this year.

The individual sciences have also seen strong performances in 2013. The proportion of entries awarded A* - C in biology sits at 91.2% (90.0% in 2012), 93.4% in chemistry (93.6% in 2012) and 94.7% in physics (93.7% in 2012).

Girls continue to outperform boys across the grades, and this year the gap has widened. At A* the proportion of grades awarded to girls was unchanged at 10.8%. The equivalent figure for boys dropped from 7.0% last year to 6.6% this year.

While the proportion of entries from boys achieving A* - C has risen from 72.0% in 2012 to 72.6% this year, girls increased the gap in performance with 80.3% of entries gaining C or above in 2013, compared to 79.3% last year.