Girls outperform boys in North GCSE exams

Thousands of Northern Ireland students are receiving the results of their GCSE exams as figures show girls continue to outperform boys.

Overall the percentage of entries gaining the top A* - C grades rose by 1.4 per cent to 68.4 per cent.

This success must be attributed to the commitment of pupils and the guidance and support they have received from their teachers and parents. Northern Ireland Education Minister Mr Martin McGuinness

Although the figures for A* grades dropped by 0.1 per cent to 6.1 per cent, there was an overall picture of improvement with the numbers gaining pass grades of A*-G edging up to 97.7 per cent from 97.3 per cent in 2001.

The annual battle of the sexes left girls on top with Northern Ireland's Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) announcing that of the 202,713 entries, 73 per cent of female candidates gained grades in the A* - C range, compared to 63.5 per cent of males.

CCEA chief executive Mr Gavin Boyd said he was confident that when the results in England and Wales were released on Thursday, Northern Ireland pupils would have maintained their performance gap over their peers.

Northern Ireland Education Minister Mr Martin McGuinness welcomed the results and paid tribute to the students.

He said: "This success must be attributed to the commitment of pupils and the guidance and support they have received from their teachers and parents".

PA