GCSE/A Level Results

Results by year

~ 2022 results were a “parachute” from COVID
§ 2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
± 2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades
* 2019 figures do not include English and English Literature as these subjects were still awarded in letter grades

Results by subject

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

Figures as at 25 February 2025

The Head, Michael Windsor, said:

“This is an outstanding set of results. I am extremely proud – both of our students who have clearly worked very hard to achieve them; and of our staff who have helped steer and support them over the past two years.”

Number of Fifth Year students sitting GCSEs: 196

Results by year

Figures as at 18 November 2024

2024 result statistics are prior to review of marking whereas results from previous years are “final”.

* 2022 results were a parachute from COVID Grades
± 2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
§ 2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades

Prior to 2024, A Level equivalencies were used for Pre-U qualifications. The Pre-U qualification has now ended.

Results by subject

Number of Abingdon students sitting A Levels: 174

Figures as at 18 November 2024

Extended Project Qualification

The Head, Michael Windsor, comments:

“I’d like to congratulate all our Upper Sixth leavers on these excellent results which are a testament both to their hard work over the past couple of years; and to the dedication of our staff who have supported them along the way.

“Our students can take pride in their achievements which will open up a wide range of exciting opportunities for them in the years ahead. Whatever their future endeavours, I know they will show the same aptitude and high level of commitment they have applied to their studies and co-curricular activities at school and I would like to wish them all the very best.”

Number of Abingdon students sitting A Levels: 174

~ 2022 results were a “parachute” from COVID
§ 2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
± 2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades

Results by subject

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

Figures as at 31 October 2023

Number of 5th year students sitting GCSEs: 193

The Head, Michael Windsor, said,

“Many congratulations to our students on this strong set of results which is a testament to their hard work and determination to succeed.

“I would like to thank our teaching staff whose support, professionalism and commitment to our students has been exceptional.”

Results by year

Figures as at 31 October 2023

2023 result statistics are prior to review of marking whereas results from previous years are “final”.

* 2022 results were a parachute from COVID Grades
± 2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
§ 2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades

Figures include AL equivalencies for pre-U subjects.

Results by subject

177 Abingdon students + SHSK students included in Drama, Economics and Psychology figures. AL equivalencies have been used for pre-U subjects.

Figures as at 31 October 2023

Extended Project Qualification

The Head, Michael Windsor, comments:

“On behalf of everyone in the Abingdon community, I’d like to congratulate our leavers on these excellent results.

“Throughout their time in Sixth Form, our students have shown dedication to their studies and extra-curricular commitments, contributing greatly to life at School. They can take great pride in their achievements, which reflect the hard work and high standards which this year group have set themselves. These fine results are particularly notable as these were the first set of public examinations which this cohort had taken as their GCSE exams had been affected by Covid.

“My congratulations and thanks also go to our staff who have shown such professionalism and commitment in supporting our students.

“These A Level and pre-U results will open the doors for our leavers to a huge range of exciting opportunities and we look forward to hearing about their future endeavours and accomplishments in the years ahead. I wish them all the very best for the bright futures they have ahead of them.”

Number of Abingdon students sitting A Levels (including those sitting Cambridge pre-U exams): 177

NB: A Level grade equivalencies have been used for pre-U grades in the statistics below. Abingdon currently uses the pre-U for French, German and Spanish.
The percentages above include the results of girls from St Helen and St Katharine School in subjects which are either taught jointly (Drama) or solely by Abingdon teachers (Economics).

§ 2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
± 2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades
* 2019 figures do not include English and English Literature as these subjects were still awarded in letter grades

NB: years immediately prior to 2019 were a blend of letter and number grades and so have been left off this table because comparisons year to year are not possible. Previous years’ results are reported on our website going back a number of years.

GCSE 2022 (by subject)

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

Number of 5th year students sitting GCSEs: 194

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“I’d like to congratulate our GCSE candidates on an excellent set of results which reflect the hard work and dedication of these pupils over the course of the past two years. The excellent grades that this cohort has achieved will stand them in good stead for success as they move into the Sixth Form and I very much look forward to welcoming them back to school in September.

“In addition, I would like to congratulate and thank our teaching staff, whose professionalism, commitment and support of our students has been exemplary.”

Results by year

Figures as at 13 October 2022

± 2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
§ 2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades

Figures include AL equivalencies for pre-U subjects and results for SHSK girls taking Drama, Economics and DT .

Results by subject

167 Abingdon students (+SHSK girls included in Drama, Economics and DT figures). AL equivalencies have been used for pre-U subjects.

Figures as at 13 October 2022

Extended Project Qualification

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, comments:

“On behalf of everyone in the Abingdon community, I’d like to congratulate our leavers on these excellent results.

“Throughout their time in Sixth Form, they have shown remarkable tenacity and fortitude, adapting to the uncertainties and disruptions over the past couple of years with composure and good humour. They have made a superb all-round commitment to the life of the School and can take great pride in their achievements, the results of which accurately reflect the hard work and high standards which this year group have set themselves.

“My congratulations and thanks also go to our staff who have shown such professionalism and commitment in supporting our students.

“These A Level and pre-U results will open the doors for our leavers to a huge range of exciting opportunities and we look forward to hearing about their future endeavours and accomplishments in the years ahead. I wish them all the very best for the bright futures they have ahead of them.”

Number of Abingdon students sitting A Levels (including those sitting Cambridge pre-U exams): 167

NB: A Level grade equivalencies have been used for pre-U grades in the statistics. Abingdon currently uses the pre-U for French, German and Spanish.
The figures include results for St Helen and St Katharine students taking Drama, Economics and DT .

2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades
2019 figures do not include English and English Literature as these subjects were still awarded in letter grades

NB: years immediately prior to 2019 were a blend of letter and number grades and so have been left off this table because comparisons year to year are not possible. Previous years’ results are reported on our website going back a number of years.

GCSE 2021 (by subject)

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

Number of fifth year students sitting GCSEs: 190

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“I’d like to congratulate our GCSE candidates on their achievements this year.

They have responded admirably to all the challenges that they have faced during their GCSE courses and showed commitment and tenacity in their response to the processes that were put in place to calculate Teacher Assessed Grades. They can be very proud of their achievements.

The Teacher Assessed Grade process has placed considerable pressures on teachers and support staff alike and I am grateful for the professionalism and dedication that they have shown to ensure that all our students received fair outcomes.

The excellent grades that this cohort has achieved will provide them with a sure foundation for success as they move into the Sixth Form. I very much look forward to welcoming them back to school in September.”

Results by year

Figures as at 4 January 2022 (post November exam session)

2021 results were formed from Teacher Assessed Grades
2020 results were formed from Centre Assessed Grades

Figures include AL equivalencies for pre-U subjects and results for SHSK girls taking Drama, DT and Economics

Results by subject

Figures as at 4 January 2022 (post November exam session)

Extended Project Qualification

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“On behalf of everyone in the Abingdon community, I’d like to congratulate our leavers on their results this year.

They have shown remarkable tenacity and fortitude as they have moved through the Sixth Form, adapting to the uncertainties that they have faced with composure and good humour. They have made a superb all-round commitment to the life of the School and can take great pride in their achievements. Although results were reached in a different way this year, they represent an accurate representation of the high standards which this excellent year group have set themselves.

The process of putting together Teacher Assessed Grades placed unusual and exceptional pressures on all those involved. I would like to thank teachers and support staff for all their hard work.

These A Level and Pre-U results will open the doors for our leavers to a huge range of exciting opportunities. I wish them well in all their future endeavours.”

Number of students sitting A Levels (including those sitting Cambridge Pre-U exams): 199

NB: A Level grade equivalencies have been used for Pre-U grades in the statistics. Abingdon uses the Pre-U for French, German and Spanish. The percentages include the results of girls from St Helen and St Katharine School in subjects which are either taught jointly (Drama) or solely by Abingdon teachers (Economics).

Following the cancellation of public examinations that was announced in January, schools have been charged with the task of devising grades based on the evidence of the standard which their students have reached in each of their subjects. These are known as Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs).

A helpful guide to the process for students, parents and guardians has been provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Ofqual has also produced a guide that you may find helpful – you can find it here. OCR (one of our exam boards) has also published a couple of infographic summaries – here and here. Please note that these guidance documents apply to all Abingdon’s qualifications apart from French, German and Spanish. The process for TAG formation for these subjects is governed by the exam board itself – CAIE – and information on this can be found here.

The process that Abingdon will be following for its formation of TAGs is as follows:

1. We will adhere to the Centre Policy (available here – downloads as a pdf) that we submitted to JCQ. This follows the JCQ template policy very closely and outlines the expectations for all exam centres.

2. Summer Assessments. Heads of Department used time during the Lent Term to consider the evidence that they were likely to be using for TAG formation. This helped them determine how they would use the “Summer Assessments” period that we created for both the Fifth Year and Upper Sixth by, for example, indicating which area(s) of their courses would benefit from having additional evidence. These assessments were conducted with the highest level of control (i.e. involved unseen, exam-style questioning under controlled conditions).

It was never our intention to try to assess everything as it seemed clear to us that the direction from Ofqual was not to try to reproduce a complete exam scenario, which would have had candidates attempting to complete all the exam papers they would have been doing in normal circumstances but in a vastly compressed period of time, causing no doubt high levels of stress and quite possibly an unrealistic set of ‘results’. We therefore limited the Summer Assessments to one slot with a maximum of 90 minutes per GCSE subject and two slots with a maximum of 90 minutes each per A Level/Pre-U subject.

Additional assessments will have taken place at other times, both in the Lent Term and in the first part of the summer, often simply as part of the usual teaching process (e.g. end of topic tests).

3. Evidence Bases. Heads of Department have formed the “Evidence Bases” they will be using for TAG formation and these are being published to the candidates as appropriate. We will publish these to this page as they are finalised. Candidates have the opportunity to raise concerns about Evidence Bases – but not to negotiate over them (e.g. to debate over pieces of work they feel should or should not be in the list).

4. TAG formation. Heads of Department then engage in the formation of a TAG for each student in each subject. Two things are very important to note about TAGs:

1. TAGs are not projections of what teachers feel a student ‘would have gone on to get’ if exams had been running as normal. That was last year’s system. This year, we are required to assess the ‘level’ that we feel each student has shown us they have been performing at.
2. The assessment of a TAG has to be ‘holistic’. This means that there is no specific and absolute weighting applied to any single piece of evidence (with the exception that NEA evidence will be likely to reflect more closely its official weighting in the specification). We won’t, for example, be saying that the Summer Assessment in a subject carries, say, a 30% weighting in our thinking. We will be looking across each student’s performance in the Evidence Base we have created to derive from it the highest grade that we feel the evidence supports. This won’t mean, therefore, that weaker performance in some pieces will pull a grade down if there is sufficient evidence from other pieces of evidence that a higher grade is justified. Neither, though, will it mean that a single piece of high level performance will necessarily mean the TAG will be awarded at that level if there isn’t other evidence that that grade is justified. We will be forming the TAG that is the most secure grade to award, considering the various aspects of a particular course and based squarely on the evidence we are looking at.

5. Access Arrangements & Special Circumstances. As part of their process, Heads of Department will be ensuring that all relevant Access Arrangements and related reasonable adjustments were in place for the pieces of evidence they are using – and there is a process for addressing any shortfall in there. Also, we will be making sure that any ‘special circumstances’ that may have affected a student’s performance in a particular assessment/piece of work being used in the Evidence Base have been taken into account.

6. Fairness & objectivity. There are various checks and balances along the way during the process to ensure that our judgements are as fair and objective as possible. As a guiding principle, we have made sure that no single teacher can have sole responsibility for the formation of a student’s TAG. In the first place, class teachers will work with their Heads of Department (HoD) to form grades based on the evidence, with the HoD inspecting the evidence and challenging judgements as appropriate. Each department must have ‘sign off’ by the HoD and one other member of the department (usually the deputy HoD if the department has one) before the next stage of the process. We have also given teachers some specific advice on the subject of ‘unconscious bias’ with relevant examples of how this might be seen in an educational context. By drawing attention to the variety of unconscious biases that could occur – and by ruling out the possibility that anyone should see themselves as completely immune to all possibility of bias – we hope to bring into vision any potential ‘unconscious’ bias and thereby eliminate it.

Each department’s TAGs will then be subject to scrutiny by the Deputy Head Academic (DHA) who will inspect and challenge judgements as appropriate to satisfy himself that the process has been done with the proper amount of objectivity and rigour.

A final checking process will then take place, with the draft TAGs being inspected by other senior teachers (such as the Section Head and the Headmaster) before a sign off by the Headmaster, as Head of Centre. Only then will TAGs move from ‘draft’ to ‘final’ status.

7. Accuracy. The final element of the process will be the transmission of TAGs to the Exam Boards’ systems. This will be undertaken by the Exams Office with two people there initially responsible for the transmission and the DHA acting as a final ‘backstop’ check before the TAGs are ultimately submitted.

Evidence Bases:

• The GCSE, iGCSE and FSMQ evidence bases can be found here (downloads as a pdf).
• The A Level and Pre-U evidence bases can be found here (download as a pdf).

* 2019 figures do not include English and English Literature as these subjects were still awarded in letter grades

NB: years immediately prior to 2019 were a blend of letter and number grades and so have been left off this table because comparisons year to year are not possible. Previous years’ results are reported on our website going back a number of years.

GCSE 2020 (by subject)

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

Number of candidates sitting GCSEs: 177

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said,

“I would like to congratulate the boys on these excellent results which are a reflection of the effort and achievement that they have put into their studies throughout the GCSE syllabus. The results represent a huge amount of hard work on the part of the boys and their teachers. They are very well deserved and an excellent foundation for further study. I regret that there has been such confusion about results in recent days which must have made what is always an anxious wait even more difficult. I hope though that the boys can now take pride in what they have achieved and look forward to their A-level studies.

I very much look forward to welcoming the boys back to join our sixth form centre in September for what will be an exciting and challenging two years. I know our new Lower Sixth, along with the rest of the Abingdon staff and boys, will enjoy being back in school. The last six months has certainly made us appreciate more than ever the importance of education and the school community. I am sure we have all learnt from this experience that we cannot take anything for granted and that we should make the most of every opportunity.”

Results by year

Figures as at 17 December 2020

2020 figures include AL equivalencies for Pre-U subjects and results for girls from St Helen’s taking Drama, DT or Economics

Results by subject

Figures as at 17 December 2020

Extended Project Qualification

Number of boys sitting A Levels (including those sitting Cambridge Pre-U exams): 158

NB: A Level grade equivalencies have been used for Pre-U grades in the statistics below. Abingdon uses the Pre-U for French, German and Spanish. The percentages below include the results of girls from St Helen and St Katharine School in subjects which are either taught jointly (Drama) or solely by Abingdon teachers (Economics).

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“I am joined by the whole school community in congratulating the boys on these results. The 2020 Leavers will have a special place in Abingdon’s history and the unusual end to their school careers should not detract from their tremendous achievements. However, it is unfortunate that the confusion surrounding results this year has been such a distraction.

We know how hard our students have worked during their time here and what a capable year group they are. We have seen them mature into the dynamic, accomplished and aspiring gentlemen of today and I have no doubt that they will go on to achieve at university and to lead successful and fulfilling careers.

In any year group at Abingdon there are boys with a diverse range of interests and talent and the 2020 leavers are no exception. Amongst the many achievements boys have won prizes in classical writing competitions, been recognised as having outstanding potential as an opera singer, combined academic success with winning a contract to play professional rugby, won Arkwright Engineering Scholarships, achieved Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards, raised money for numerous charitable causes and reached the last 16 of the National Schools Cup in rugby.

I know the boys will take this unexpected end to their school years in their stride and learn from it. I hope it will help them to be even more determined to make the most out of every opportunity and to use their many and varied talents wisely.

I wish them all the very best for their future endeavours and I look forward to watching their progress.”

These results are provisional and are subject to change.

Grading has now almost completely moved to using numbers, making historical comparisons difficult. The table below shows the grade distributions for all subjects in 2019 apart from English & English Literature (which remain letter grades for 2019) and some legacy grades from subjects that were sat by boys in previous years but need to be reported alongside other Year 11 results.

A note on numbers: a “4” represents a “standard pass” and has been set as the equivalent to the “C” grade awarded in previous years. A “7” is the equivalent of the previous “A” grade and grades “8” and “9” are the equivalents of the previous “A*” grade.

To offer some form of comparison, Abingdon’s A* rate over the 4 years before the number system started for us (i.e. 2014-17) averaged 57% and our A*/A rate averaged 85%.

Below are the grade distributions for English & English Literature (plus some subjects taken by this cohort in previous years and that were awarded using letter grades):

GCSE 2019 (by subject)

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

Figures as at 1 October 2019 and are provisional numbers (appeals still pending)

See the picture gallery.

Speaking about the 2019 GCSE results, the Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“The results are outstanding. Over half of the year group, were awarded all their grades at 7-9 and A*/A and 44 boys were awarded all their grades at 8-9 and A*. The results are the product of the students’ sustained commitment and endeavour and follow a superb set of A level results.

I’d like to congratulate the boys on their deserved success which will provide a strong platform as they move into the Sixth Form. This is a year group that makes the most of the wide range of opportunities at Abingdon and I have no doubt that they will continue to thrive as they take on the challenge of A Levels. My thanks go to our staff and to our students’ parents who have given the boys such dedicated and effective support.”

The results are excellent across the wide range of subjects taken at GCSE at Abingdon. Students performed particularly strongly in History with 60% of passes awarded the top grade (grade 9) (146 candidates), Geography with 57% of passes with grade 9 (134 candidates) and Physics with 49% of passes awarded a grade 9 (167 candidates). Maths and English continue to perform very strongly too, with 84.% of the Maths grades at 7-9 and 86% of the grades in English and English Literature at A* and A.

Very impressive results were achieved by the smaller numbers of candidates taking Greek with 91% grade 9 (11 candidates) and Electronics with 74% grade 9 (23 candidates). In the first year of Computer Science GCSE, an impressive 43% of the 21 candidates were awarded a grade 9.

Number sitting GCSEs: 194

See the picture gallery.

Download the GCSE grade boundaries here.

Results by year

Figures as at 30 September 2019 (appeals pending)

2019 figures include AL equivalencies for Pre-U subjects and results for girls from St Helen’s taking Drama, DT or Economics

Results by subject

Figures as at 30 September 2019 (appeals pending)

153 boys (and girls from St Helen’s included in Drama, DT and Economics).  AL equivalencies have been used for Pre-U subjects

Extended Project Qualification

See the picture gallery.

Number of boys sitting A Levels (including those sitting Cambridge Pre-U exams): 153

NB: A Level grade equivalencies have been used for Pre-U grades in the statistics below. Abingdon uses the Pre-U for French, German and Spanish. The percentages below include the results of girls from St Helen and St Katharine School in subjects which are either taught jointly (Drama) or solely by Abingdon teachers (Economics and DT).  

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“I congratulate all our leavers on this very strong set of results. As a year group, they’ve made a terrific contribution to all aspects of school life and I am delighted that they have been rewarded for their hard work and commitment. They have benefited from strong support from their teachers, who have worked with dedication, determination and expertise to ensure that they have been able to fulfil their potential. I wish all our leavers well as they set out on the next chapter of their lives.”

The 2019 results show students have achieved particularly well in:

• Economics with 76% A*/A and 94% A*/B (50 candidates)
• History 72% A*/A and 100% A*/B  (50 candidates)
• Geography 68% A*/A and 92% A*/B (37 candidates)
• Chemistry with 60% A*/A and 87% A*/B (55 candidates)
• Mathematics with 73% A*/A and 86% A*/B (84 candidates)

Amongst subjects that have smaller numbers of candidates and performed very strongly, we have Biology with 80% A*/A and 88% A*/B (25 candidates), English with 60% A*/A and 100% A*/B (20 candidates) and Drama with 62% A*/A and 92% A*/B (13 candidates). Our MFL students did exceptionally well once again in the Pre-U examinations with half of 26 candidates being awarded D1 and D2 grades (A* and above A* equivalent).

Students also did very well in the popular and demanding EPQ. This year, over 50% of the 30 students achieved the top (A*) grade and 80% achieved A*/A.

An excellent set of A level and Pre-U results complete a very successful year for our 2019 leavers.

Abingdonians have a spirit of curiosity and adventure which underpins their time at school and it is exciting to see them succeed both academically and through the Other Half. Amongst our leavers we have highly accomplished musicians, award winning academics, international sportsmen, Arkwright Engineering Scholars and aspiring artists.

Many of the boys achieving these impressive results have just returned from a music tour of Hong Kong and Japan and over the summer, sixth formers also volunteered in Moldova, played rugby in Chile and Argentina, undertook Gold DofE expeditions and worked on community partnership projects. Individuals have represented the UK at the International Physics Olympiad in Tel Aviv, played for the England U18 rugby team in South Africa, rowed for Great Britain in the Junior World Championships in Tokyo and performed together with the girls from St Helen’s at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Our Other Half not only develops skills but also confidence, leadership, independence and responsibility which also reap tremendous benefit inside the classroom. The 2019 academic results are testament to this and to our purpose of providing a well-rounded education. We thank the students for their commitment and contribution to Abingdon.

See the picture gallery.

Download the A level grade boundaries here.

Historical view (GCSE)

2018 is the first time Abingdon is reporting in number grades for some GCSEs. The stats below cover Maths, Art, Drama, Greek, Latin, Music and RS:

Consolidated results (using grade equivalencies for numbers):

2018 figures as at 6 October 2018 and are provisional numbers (appeals still pending)

GCSE 2018 (by subject)

§ The FSMQ is a free-standing Maths Qualification and does not count as a GCSE.

To see the UMS grade boundaries, please follow this link.

Figures as at 6 October 2018

Speaking about the 2018 GCSE results, the Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“This is another excellent set of results following the A levels last week. Half of the year group gained all their GCSE passes at grade A* or A, or the equivalent grades 7-9. I would like to congratulate all the boys and staff on achieving these impressive results.

Particularly pleasing is the breadth of subjects in which the boys performed well. English Language passes were at 92% A*/A and English Literature at 87% A*/A, and Maths passes at grades 7-9 (A*/A equivalent) were 87%.

Chemistry, Physics and Mandarin all recorded over 90% A*/A with Electronics a very strong 100% A*/A. All those taking Greek also gained 100% passes at grades 8/9 (A* equivalent).

These results represent a lot of hard work from boys and their teachers, they are very well deserved and an excellent foundation for further study. I look forward to welcoming the boys back to school where they will be the first to enjoy our new sixth form facilities opening in September.”

Number sitting GCSEs: 167

See the statistics showing a breakdown of the results by subject.

Results by year

Results by subject

Figures as at 9 October 2018

See the picture gallery.

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“I would like to congratulate our candidates on this superb set of results. Students and staff have risen ably to the challenge of the new A Level specifications. The results show strength across the board with boys achieving particularly well in History, gaining a remarkable 80% A*/A, alongside great success in STEM subjects and English, Economics and Latin.

I have been impressed by the hard work and commitment that these students have shown throughout their Abingdon careers. They are a talented cohort who have thrived in all areas of school life. There have been some remarkable individual successes beyond the curriculum, including first prize in the prestigious National Cipher Challenge, sponsored by GCHQ, and selection to the UK team for the International Biology Olympiad in Iran.

These young men are very well-placed to embrace the challenge and excitement of life after school and I wish them all the best for the future.”

The 2018 results show students have achieved particularly well in:

• History, with 80% A*/A and 98% A*/B (40 candidates)
• Chemistry, with 65% A*/A and 92% A*/B (66 candidates)
• Maths with 65% A*/A and 84% A*/B (110 candidates)
• Economics, with 59% A*/A and 89% A*/B (46 candidates)
• Physics, with 57% A*/A and 89% A*/B (44 candidates)

Amongst subjects that have smaller numbers of candidates but still perform very strongly, we have English with 55% A*/A and 90% A*/B (20 candidates), and Latin with 87% A*/A and 100% A*/B (15 candidates).

Our MFL students did exceptionally well in the Pre-U examinations. All 27 candidates gained D2 and D3 grades – the equivalent of 100% A*/A – with all those sitting German (5 candidates) gaining a D2/A* equivalent.

Students also did very well in the increasingly popular EPQ. This year over 40% of the cohort achieved the top (A*) grade and over 70% achieved A*/A.

At Abingdon we encourage boys to put equal effort into their non-academic interests and, wherever these may lie, we will have something amongst the 120 extra-curricular activities that will capture their imagination. The diversity is impressive; this year students have built the ATLAS detector of the Large Hadron Collider in Minecraft, sung Choral Evensong at Dorchester Abbey and through our CCF, been selected to take on the role of Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet. We also have 35 sports to try, and boys play as part of a healthy lifestyle or to compete and to reach the top of their game alongside the eight international representatives, 30 regional and 70 county players this year.

As school resumes in September, excitement is building for the new Sixth Form Centre, library and Art department which will open its doors for the first time. Our Sixth Form will be transformed with the new Centre designed to mark the transition from Middle School. Students will have more independence and enjoy a relationship with the school and staff that more closely resembles university education.

See the statistics showing a breakdown of the results by subject.

See the picture gallery.

81 boys (47% of the year group) gained all their GCSE passes at grade A* or A.

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“This is a quite superb set of results and I am delighted that the pupils’ hard work has paid off in such style. It is exciting to see very high levels of achievement across the board and this underlines the quality and commitment of the staff at Abingdon. The boys have certainly established a firm platform for continued success at A Level.”

Almost a third of the year group gained nine or more passes at grade A* and 81 boys gained all their GCSE passes at A* or A grades. Demonstrating the breadth of very high achievements across the 23 subjects on offer in Abingdon’s GCSE curriculum, a wide variety of subjects reported A*/A rates of over 85%, including English and English Literature, Physics, French, German, Spanish, Electronics, Greek, History and Latin. Almost all of the other subjects had A*/A rates above 80%.

See the statistics showing a breakdown of the results by subject.

See the picture gallery.

GCSE – historical view

GCSE 2017 (by subject)

§ Most boys in the top Maths sets took the OCR Freestanding Additional Maths Qualification alongside their iGCSE in Maths.
As it isn’t a GCSE it is not included in the totals and percentages above.

Figures as at 17 October 2017; subject to change after marking appeals.

See the picture gallery.

Results by year

Results by subject

Figures as at 17 October 2017 ; 2017 figures subject to change on appeal
Figures include AL equivalencies for pre-U subjects

See the picture gallery.

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, said:

“I would like to congratulate all our candidates who have achieved such a strong set of results, which reflect the hard work that our students have put into their studies, alongside their quite superb contribution to the wider life of the School. The results also bear testimony to the commitment and skill of the staff at Abingdon who guide our pupils with tenacity, intelligence and enthusiasm. I wish all our leavers well as they move on to the next stages in their lives.”

Almost half of the year group (81 boys) gained three or more A level passes at A* or A grades. Students performed particularly well in English and Economics where 90% of candidates achieved A* to B grades. These excellent academic results bring to an end an impressive year at Abingdon. 2016/17 has certainly lived up to expectation with this tremendous academic performance achieved alongside a wide range of extra-curricular accolades. Below are just a few examples, they demonstrate the hard work and dedication that the boys put in to all that they do.

• Aspiring writers – nine students published the opening chapters of their books in an anthology, The Birth of a Book.
• Engineers – two student teams won first and third place in the national Blott Matthews Engineering Challenge to design a mass-transit system connecting five London airports to the City.
• Mathematicians – achieved sixth position out of all worldwide postal entries from schools competing in the Princeton University Maths Competition.
• Journalists – the School’s student newspaper, The Martlet, won highly commended runner-up in the ‘Best Newspaper’ category and won ‘Best Newspaper Front Cover’ in the prestigious Shine Media Awards.
• Musicians – selected for National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the National Children’s Orchestra.
• Game designers – two sixth formers shortlisted in the BAFTA Young Game Designers competition.
• Sportsmen – national selection for students who reached the top of their game in a wide range of sports including hockey, fencing and canoeing.
• Thespians – Much Ado and London Road, the senior productions with the girls from St Helen’s, wowed audiences in sell out performances.
• Explorers – students volunteered, sailed, hiked, canoed, skied and represented the School across several continents broadening experiences of music, sport, language and culture. From an orchestral tour to Germany, cricket in Sri Lanka, volunteering in Moldova, rugby in Japan to the Cosmonaut Space and Leadership Experience in Moscow.

See the statistics showing a breakdown of the results by subject.

See the picture gallery.

Results as of 1 November 2017

GCSE – a ten year view

GCSE 2016 (by subject)

§ Most boys in the top two Maths sets took the OCR Freestanding Additional Maths Qualification alongside their iGCSE in Maths. As it isn’t a GCSE it is not included in the totals and percentages above. In addition to the FSMQ results above, there was one U grade.

Figures as at 17 October 2016, and subject to change following marking review appeals.

82 boys gained all their GCSE passes at grade A* or A.

The Head, Miss Felicity Lusk, said:

“These results are outstanding. This year group has exceeded the record set in 2015 for the percentage of passes receiving A* and A grades, at a magnificent 87.3%. 22 boys gained ten or more A* grades and 82 boys, nearly half of the year group, received all their GCSE passes at A* or A. Equally impressive are the very many boys who have improved hugely on their January mock exam results to bring in a haul of very strong grades: a testament to the hard work that has taken place at home and at school.

There is real strength across all subjects. Chemistry and Physics see over two thirds of boys with the top A* grade, as do Spanish and Latin. All boys take English, English Literature and Maths and the results were once again excellent with 107, 104 and 109 A* grades respectively and of the 179 boys taking Maths iGCSE all received grades A* to B.

These results together with our inspiring extra-curricular offering reflect the superb balance that an Abingdon education provides.”