Qualifications and skills

Fact checks about a-level results, GCSE results, SATs and literacy levels

3 June 2021

Telegraph columnist wrongly claims literacy at the lowest level in UK history

A Telegraph article was wrong to say literacy was at its lowest level in history, and that every international league table puts the UK near bottom for literacy and numeracy. Neither is true.

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14 August 2020

Gavin Williamson did not say pupils will be overpromoted into jobs that are beyond their competence

Comments about A-level results incorrectly attributed to the Education Secretary have been widely shared.

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14 February 2020

Scotland’s maths and science scores are falling in international tests but rising in national tests

Boris Johnson’s claims about education in Scotland are not all quite right.

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20 June 2019

Are a quarter of 11 year-olds in England unable to read?

A quarter of year 6 students (10 to 11 year-olds) in England do not achieve the expected reading level in their SATs. This doesn’t mean they can’t read.

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23 August 2018

GCSE results: boys drive slightly improved performance

Overall, there has been a slight pick-up in performance levels, after a couple of years of decline in pupils achieving higher grades. Performance among boys has increased in particular.

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16 August 2018

A-Level results: beware of the headlines

Despite inevitable headlines focusing on shifts in results, A-level performance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland remains very stable.

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16 February 2018

Spending for adult skills fell by 40% between 2010 and 2015

This funding pays for “further education” such as classroom and workplace learning for people aged 19 and over.

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1 December 2017

Has the number of people starting apprenticeships fallen?

Yes. Apprenticeship starts in May to July this year were 59% lower than in the same period last year.

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13 July 2017

Is youth unemployment at a historic low?

Youth unemployment in the UK is currently 12.5%, among the lowest it’s been since 2005.

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10 March 2017

Is educational attainment in Scotland at record levels?

Figures on attainment in Scotland depend on which measure you prefer to look at.

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