Gender gap 'highest ever' in A-level exams since 2004

2016 saw the largest gap in A level exam performance between males and females since 2004, according to the annual report by the MATSEC Support Unit 

39.9% of candidates used the September 2016 session as their first sitting
39.9% of candidates used the September 2016 session as their first sitting

2016 saw the largest ever percentage of 18-year-olds qualifying for the Matriculation Certificate since 2004 and the largest gap was observed in the performance between males and females since 2004, the annual report by the MATSEC Support Unit shows. 

Students normally study two subjects at Advanced level and another four at Intermediate level, including Systems of Knowledge. 

28.2% of the 4,026 children born in 1998 qualified for the Matriculation Certificate in 2016. While only 21.1% of males qualified for the certificate, a record 35.7% of females born in 1998 qualified. 

40.7% of the 18-year-old cohort born in 1998 (33.0% of males and 48.9% of females) registered for Advanced Level examinations while 41.9% (33.8% of males and 50.4% of females) registered for Intermediate Level examinations in 2016. 

The increase in the percentage of students gaining Matriculation certification is probably the result of changes to regulations in 2012.

In 2012 the May and September sittings became two separate sessions and candidates were allowed to satisfy the criteria for the award of the certificate over five years. 

An unintended consequence of this change was that many students of Sixth Form schools and colleges started to sit for Matriculation examinations in September after they had finished their first year at school and before they had obtained a mature understanding of the subjects which they attempted. 

In fact, 1,181 candidates (39.9%) used the September 2016 session as their first sit.

The overall percentage of the 18-year-old cohort qualifying for the Matriculation Certificate has exceeded 25% after the change in regulations in 2012. While in the eight years before the change in regulations, an average of 23.2% of the population used to gain the necessary entry requirements for University, in the four years after the change in regulations 27.1% did so. 

At Intermediate level, the introduction of Psychology in 2013 attracted many students who used to opt for other humanities subjects in previous years. In fact in 2016, 25.6% of all candidates sat for Psychology while Religious Knowledge, Sociology and Philosophy suffered losses of 6.1%, 6.7% and 10.8% respectively when the 2006 figures are taken into account.