eprintid: 10145867
rev_number: 9
eprint_status: archive
userid: 699
dir: disk0/10/14/58/67
datestamp: 2022-03-29 09:27:13
lastmod: 2024-02-05 10:20:49
status_changed: 2022-03-29 09:27:13
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 699
creators_name: Jerrim, John
title: The Benefits of Meeting Key Grade Thresholds in High-stakes Examinations. New Evidence From England
ispublished: pub
divisions: B14
divisions: J81
divisions: B16
divisions: UCL
keywords: high-stakes testing, examinations, mental health, wellbeing
note: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
abstract: In England, failing to achieve a ‘good pass’ (C/4 grade) in key subjects is thought to have serious negative implications. Yet evidence on this issue remains relatively sparse. This paper therefore presents new evidence on the link between meeting a key threshold on high-stakes examination and a wide array of future outcomes. Using Next Steps survey data collected from around 4,000 young people in England, we explore the short-to-medium term benefits of achieving a ‘good pass’ (grade C/4) in English Language, double science and mathematics. Results from our regression analyses point towards a sizable association with future educational attainment; those who achieve a good pass in GCSE mathematics are around 5 percentage points more likely to hold a university degree by age 26 than observationally similar individuals who fail to meet this threshold. No link is found with future wellbeing and mental health, while results for labour market outcomes are somewhat mixed. The findings potentially motivate the need for GCSEs to move away from awarding a set of discrete grades and towards a continuous measurement scale. Alternatively, if discrete grades are to be retained, computer adaptive testing should be introduced for GCSEs to increase measurement precision around high-stakes grade boundaries.
date: 2022-03-10
date_type: published
publisher: Informa UK Limited
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2022.2033692
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1946309
doi: 10.1080/00071005.2022.2033692
lyricists_name: Jerrim, John
lyricists_id: JPJER37
actors_name: Jerrim, John
actors_name: Flynn, Bernadette
actors_id: JPJER37
actors_id: BFFLY94
actors_role: owner
actors_role: impersonator
full_text_status: public
publication: British Journal of Educational Studies
volume: 71
number: 1
pagerange: 5-28
citation:        Jerrim, John;      (2022)    The Benefits of Meeting Key Grade Thresholds in High-stakes Examinations. New Evidence From England.                   British Journal of Educational Studies , 71  (1)   pp. 5-28.    10.1080/00071005.2022.2033692 <https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2022.2033692>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10145867/1/THE%20BENEFITS%20OF%20MEETING%20KEY%20GRADE%20THRESHOLDS%20IN%20HIGH%20STAKES%20EXAMINATIONS%20NEW%20EVIDENCE%20FROM%20ENGLAND.pdf