A Level Results 2017

As always, with the coming of the second Thursday of August came also the yearly A-Level results. Although Hampstead have declared an "extraordinary jump [in] each category", several key figures either match or are lower than they were in 2013.

Although the number of A*s to As has increased by 6% from 14% to 19% (which is below this year's national average of 24%), this is at most an increase of ~1% on 2013's 18.14%, and 2014's 18.84%. Similarly, the number of As to Bs has increased by 6% from 37% to 43%, but this only matches the 2013 figure for As to Bs. The number of As to Cs has increased by 16% from a particularly low 56% to 72%, but this figure also only equals the 2013. The number of As to Es, which has increased by 4%, from 92% to 96%, is still below 2013's 98%. 

Presumably, what we are seeing is the beginning of a return to pre-2014 reform performance. However, Hampstead has largely attempted to construe this as a dramatic and noteworthy improvement, even going as far as to claim, in a statement that "our internal tracking was indicating we could expect a special year of results and our students have delivered in spectacular fashion". Their is some indication, even in their statement itself however, that this is not as much of an improvement as the changes on last year would, taken in isolation, indicate; "the highest results on recent record", with recent being the crucial word.