GCSE Results in Kent

Thousands of students in Kent are getting their results

Three quarters of a million teenagers are collecting record GCSE results across the country today.

The pass rate's risen for the 23rd year in a row - while 22% of all entries achieved the top A-star grade.

But while there's been an improvement in grades in English, Maths and Science, French has fallen outside the top ten most-studied subjects.

Critics are claiming that exams are getting easier.

Based on provisional figures, it has been another record year for Kent’s students. 77.7 percent of the county’s students achieved five A* to C grades this year – an improvement of 4.7 percent on 2009 and 8.6 percent above the national average.

Once again more than half of students (55.9 percent) achieved the key benchmark of five A* to C, including English and maths. There has been year-on-year improvement in Kent since 1995 and the national average has been exceeded for the past 13 years.

Thirty-one schools have been challenged to have at least 30 percent of students achieve five A* to C grades, including English and maths, by 2011 under the National Challenge programme. Twenty seven schools reached this target a year ahead of schedule – more than double the number from last year.

Students at Longfield Academy opening their results