GCSE results landed yesterday, revealing that almost one third of students didn’t achieve a standard pass on their Maths and English exam this year. Though results were marginally better than in 2019 as experts predicted, they are still significantly lower than in the previous two years, stoking concerns that a large proportion of students across the UK are failing to achieve the basic skills they need to acquire most jobs outside of school. MyTutor, the UKs most trusted tutoring platform, highlights the need for more on-to-one learning opportunities and support systems in places for next year’s cohort of students facing GCSEs, as the government plans to remove measures aiding students who were affected by learning loss during the last two years.

With the next cohort of students still seeing their educational attainment heavily impacted by the learning loss they’ve faced as a result of Covid, many parents have turned to online tutoring to supplement their child’s education. What was once seen as a premium resource for pushy parents, is now a critical support structure to aid one of the most disruptive periods in academic history. In the wake of this transition, MyTutor, has commissioned a nationally representative study evaluating the drivers behind this shift in perception. Within its own business tutoring thousands of children, MyTutor has seen a complete U-turn in attitudes towards private tutoring and has unveiled a wide spread de-stigmatisation of its pre-pandemic positioning. The new data has found that now, almost half of the nation are more likely to share and discuss their child’s experience of private tutoring with others, with 44% agreeing that they will continue to invest in online tutoring even after the pandemic. Furthermore, almost a third of the country agree that pre-pandemic they would never publicly discuss using private tutoring as they worried it might make their child appear less intelligent, but now they no longer feel this is the case.

Key stats:
48% used to think tutoring was unnecessary but since the pandemic they now think it’s really valuable
48% are now more likely to share and discuss their child’s experience of private tutoring with others
30% agree that before the pandemic they would never publicly discuss using private tutoring as they worried it might make their child appear less intelligent, but post pandemic they no longer feel this is the case
44% will continue to invest in online tutoring for their children now the pandemic is over

MyTutor’s Chief Customer Officer, Nicola Anderson, comments on the lower grade results for GCSE results day, and options for students who didn’t get the results they were hoping for:

“As with last week’s A Level results, GCSE exam results are lower this year vs the last two years but still higher than 2019. It’s important to avoid comparing results with last year’s teacher assessed grades which lead to a dramatic increase in top GCSE grades. The real point of comparison is 2019 when exams last took place.

For students that don’t get the results they were hoping for, it’s important to try and remain positive and remember that there are plenty of options available. Getting lower results than expected doesn’t mean that students can’t continue with further study and we would advise students to contact their school or college to discuss next steps before making any decisions. If students are unhappy with their results there is the option to re-sit subjects such as Maths and English, with exams taking place later this year, or, if they feel an error has been made in the way the paper has been marked, they can request to appeal their results via their school.

Disappointing exam results can be deeply upsetting, but can also be a good time to assess what might have gone wrong for the student and identify areas where they might need extra support. This could be further help in understanding the syllabus, advice on developing exam technique, or help in building confidence which can leave them in a better position for taking resits. We would also recommend speaking to your child’s teachers at school to see if there is any additional support available, such as tutoring in any subjects they may need extra help with.If your child decides that A Levels are not for them, there are a host of other excellent options available to them, including apprenticeships and traineeships, as well as BTECs and T-Levels. These courses can be studied at sixth form colleges and schools across the country and provide a combination of practical work experience and study and are an increasingly popular path for students to enter the world of work or University.

With so many options available, this can be an overwhelming time for your child. Talking to someone who has had the same challenges as your teen – and made it to the other side – can be encouraging. At MyTutor, the tutors have studied the same courses and sat the same exams as teens in the past few years, so they understand and can relate to what your child is going through. They’ve also been tutoring teens who’ve been through exams and resits and can offer expert advice and support to help your child navigate their next steps.”