The lessons I’ve learnt from results day

What is often most interesting are the trends behind the headlines

Photos of students with brown envelopes jumping for joy fill the papers, while success stories from celebrities about grades not being the be-all-and-end-all flood Twitter. It must be results day.

For a few weeks in August the country (and media) gets excited about A-level and GCSE results. What has become known as “silly season” soon becomes very busy as an education correspondent.

Every year the headlines will focus on whether there’s been a drop or rise in the number of top grades being awarded to pupils – but the figures only move by a fraction of a percentage point.

So why is there so much excitement about the day? Ultimately everyone has their own experience of finding out their grades and discovering whether they’ve secured the school, college or university place they desired. And then we go through it all again with our own children and grandchildren.

But what is often most interesting from results day are the trends that show what subjects the younger generation are now choosing to take and why – and whether the gender gap is narrowing.

This year has been no exception. In fact, the figures released on A-level results day on Thursday revealed two historic firsts that reflect changes in society. Spanish is now the most popular language among sixth-formers, and the number of girls taking A-levels sciences has finally overtaken boys.

The figures suggest students are potentially more career-savvy. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, which could open up more opportunities for jobs, while the science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) sector has been crying out for more applicants.

So the pages and pages of data released on A-level results day can act as a reassurance that we are creating, rather than wasting, a generation of skilled people to run the country.

However, not all industries are benefiting from a government push to take Stem and languages. It is likely that GCSE results day next week will paint a bleaker picture for the arts as more students are expected to turn away from creative subjects amid government reforms and funding cuts.

I will be crunching the data once again on Thursday to ensure the significant trends facing the education sector (and the business sector) are not lost among all the headlines and personal stories.

Yours,

Eleanor Busby

Education correspondent