More than a third of all independent school GCSE results graded A* as increases buck national trends

The number of GCSE A * grades awarded to independent school pupils has increased 1.6% in 2016.

130,395 top grades were awarded this year - 34.5% of all grades. This represents a figure five times higher than the national level of 6.5%, which fell 0.1%.

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Other figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) which collected data from 39,310 candidates in 552 independent schools across the UK reveal:
• A */A grades increased 1.1% to 61.9%, more than three times the national average of 20.5%.
• Candidates achieving 5 or more A *-C grades (which must include English and maths) increased 0.7% to 90.8%.
• Candidates achieving 5 or more A *-C grades (which must include English and maths at least one science and one modern foreign language) is 76.1% (-0.1%).
• Average points total per candidate increases from 480.1 to 483.4.
• The average number of GCSEs taken per candidate remains 9.6.

Barnaby Lenon, Chairman of ISC, said: "To see an increase in independent school grades across the board is excellent news and testament to all those working hard in our schools - and of course to the young men and women who sat the exams having built towards them for a number of years.

"Set against a decrease in numbers nationally and in an environment where there are efforts to halt grade inflation, this is particularly impressive."

Julie Robinson, ISC General Secretary, said: "Once again, the value of an independent education can be seen through the achievements of the students in our schools. GCSEs might not be the most popular of exams - and some commentators have questioned the validity of public examinations at this point in a student’s education. However, our schools put much emphasis on the core subjects of English, maths, sciences and languages, much-prized by universities and employers, so these exams continue to be a formative stepping stone for our pupils."