A Level There were 21,233 candidates in RS, equivalent to 2.5% of all candidates, a proportion exceeded by 14 subjects (English being the highest, 10.5%) but larger than for 21 others32.0% of RS candidates were males and 68.0% females, compared with a 46.1/53.9 gender split for all subjects, although RS was less ‘feminized’ than Art and Design (72.8%), Psychology (73.1%) and Sociology (75.3%) The number of RS candidates was just 154 (or 0.7%) more than in 2009, in line with the modest 0.8% rise for all subjects 98.3% of RS candidates gained A*-E passes, 97.6% of males and 98.6% of females, whereas the average pass rate for all subjects was 97.6%
The pass rate for RS was slightly lower than for most other Arts subjects, the highest being Communication Studies (99.3%), but generally better than for non-Arts subjects 27.5% of RS candidates obtained A* or A grades, slightly above the average for all subjects (27.0%), albeit only half the number in Further Mathematics and some foreign languages 0.8% more RS candidates obtained the top grade in 2010 than in 2009, greater than the 0.3% improvement across all subjects Of the non-A Level qualifications reported, numerically the most important are AS Levels. There were 27,742 candidates in RS this summer, representing 2.3% of all candidates. Of these, 92.5% obtained A-E grades, better than the pass rate for all subjects of 88.2%, the figures for RS being 90.7% for males and 93.4% for females." British Religion in Numbers website August 20th GCSE Religious studies up Some subjects confound popular perceptions. While many assume the UK is becoming more secular, the number of entries in religious studies has risen for the twelfth year running. The subject is now in the top ten most popular subjects, with entries increasing more than 60% since 1999. The Church of England believes "young people are clamouring for a deeper understanding of religious perspectives on issues of the day and how moral and ethical questions are considered by the major faiths". Exam boards have rejected claims by the Campaign for Real Education that the GCSE is "pathetically easy". Grades in religious studies are fairly similar to history, ICT, geography - although the percentage of good grades in a subject does not necessarily indicate how hard or easy it is. BBC website 25 August "These results are very commendable. The criteria for success in understanding religion have not become any easier. Yet the quantity and quality of entries to GCSE , AS and A Level Religious Studies continue to rise. They and their teachers deserve congratulations from all our member organisations.” Chair RE Council. |