What the words on these pages mean

Exams were cancelled. In 2020 grades were centre-assessed; in 2021 they were assessed by teachers.

Why it matters when comparing. They weren’t awarded through the usual exams, so we leave them out of like-for-like comparisons by default. You can show them for context.

Also called: CAG, TAG, centre-assessed grades, teacher-assessed grades, 2020–21.

See also: Years we can compare (shared years)

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A dash means we have no figure for that cell. It never means a result of zero.

Why it matters when comparing. Reading a gap as zero would make a school look worse than anything it published. Each profile says why each year is blank.

Also called: dash, blank, missing year, not recorded.

See also: No figure yet, Not researched yet, Did not apply

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The top A-level grade, awarded since 2010. A school’s “A* rate” is the share of its A-level exam entries graded A*.

Why it matters when comparing. It counts grades, not pupils: a pupil taking three A levels adds three entries. There was no A* before 2010, so A* figures start that year.

Also called: A-level A*, A* rate.

See also: Entries, A*–A, A*–B and other grade bands

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The share of entries at or above a grade. Bands are cumulative: A*–B includes every A* and every A.

Why it matters when comparing. Schools often headline their widest band. Compare the same band for every school, and never add one band to another.

Also called: A*–A, A*–B, grade band, cumulative band.

See also: A*, Grade 9 and the 9–1 GCSE scale

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An applicant the university accepted or admitted. Enrolment isn’t confirmed.

Why it matters when comparing. It is closer to a place than an offer is, but it is still a count of applications, not of pupils.

Also called: acceptances, accepted or admitted.

See also: Offer, Where leavers went (destinations)

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One year’s university applications and their outcomes (UCAS calls it a cycle). The 2025 round is mostly for entry in 2025, or deferred to 2026.

Why it matters when comparing. An admissions round and a year’s leavers are different groups, so their counts don’t line up exactly.

Also called: cycle, admissions cycle, entry cycle, UCAS cycle.

See also: Applications from the school (apply centre), Where leavers went (destinations)

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An application to a university, counted by the school that sent it.

Why it matters when comparing. Applications count attempts, not pupils. One pupil can make several.

Also called: applications.

See also: Offer, Applications from the school (apply centre)

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University admissions figures counted by the school that sent the application, which UCAS calls its “apply centre”.

Why it matters when comparing. They count applications and outcomes, not pupils, and they don’t say where every leaver went.

Also called: apply centre, apply-centre, applying school.

See also: Admissions round, Application

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We keep a figure exactly as the source printed it: 95 stays 95 and 85.0 stays 85.0. We never round it or add decimals.

Why it matters when comparing. Two schools printed to different precision can look further apart, or closer, than they are.

Also called: as published, precision.

See also: The school’s figure

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A sixth-form qualification some schools took instead of A levels, now withdrawn. Grades run D1–D3 (distinction), M1–M3 (merit) and P1–P3 (pass).

Why it matters when comparing. For comparable figures we count D1 and D2 as A*, D3 as A, M1 and M2 as B, and M3 as C. A school’s headline “D1–M1” reaches below A-level A*–A.

Also called: Pre-U, D1–D3, D1–M1.

See also: Comparable figure, IB Diploma (Higher Level grades)

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People, rather than exam entries. Some publications count pupils, for example “pupils with three A* grades”.

Why it matters when comparing. A share of pupils and a share of entries measure different things. They can’t be compared or added together.

Also called: pupils, candidates.

See also: Entries

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We opened the original document and found the figure matches it. The check date is when we looked, not a results year.

Why it matters when comparing. A checked figure is as reliable as the school’s own publication. A figure not yet checked may still be right; it just hasn’t been confirmed.

Also called: checked, verified.

See also: Original publication, Original offline

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Our calculation: a school’s results across A level, Pre-U and IB (or old and new GCSEs) counted on one scale. It is the number of entries at or above the band, across every exam system, divided by all the entries.

Why it matters when comparing. It sits beside the school’s own figure and the original grades, never instead of them. We never average two percentages, and where the school’s figure and ours differ, we say why.

Also called: comparable figures, or equivalent, A*–A or equivalent, A* or equivalent, A*–B or equivalent.

See also: The school’s figure, Original grades, Our calculation

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A correction means we changed our record, and why. A difference means two publications disagree, and we overwrite neither.

Why it matters when comparing. Both are listed, dated, on the corrections page, so you can see whether a figure you quoted has changed.

Also called: correction, difference.

See also: Publications differ, Revised by the school

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The qualification or outcome didn’t exist, or wasn’t offered at the school, in that year, and we have a source that says so.

Why it matters when comparing. Only this kind of blank is a fact about the school, and only because a source says so.

Also called: not applicable, n/a.

See also: A blank (—)

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Exam entries: one pupil’s result in one subject. On this site “entries” always means exam entries, and nothing else.

Why it matters when comparing. A percentage of entries is not a percentage of pupils. A school’s 916 A-level entries come from far fewer pupils.

Also called: exam entries, subject entries.

See also: Candidates and pupils, A*

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One number with its label, such as “40.2% of A-level entries graded A*”.

Why it matters when comparing. A figure is only as good as its label: check what it counts, which year and which publication before comparing it.

Also called: figures.

See also: Record, As printed

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We found a figure for the year, but its definition, group or coverage is unclear, so it isn’t charted or compared.

Why it matters when comparing. Leaving it out keeps a trend from mixing two different measures. The figure is still on the record page.

See also: Unclear what it counts, Years we can compare (shared years)

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GCSE and IGCSE results on the old A*–G scale, which some IGCSEs kept for years after 2017.

Why it matters when comparing. An old A* share can’t be laid beside a grade 9 share. For comparisons across the change, use the grade bands that span both scales.

Also called: A*–G, letter grades.

See also: Grade 9 and the 9–1 GCSE scale, Top grades, High grades and C/4 or better

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The Department for Education’s school performance tables. They count their own groups, for example up to three years of sixth-form study.

Why it matters when comparing. They rarely match a school’s own headline, so we keep them separate and never combine them with other sources.

Also called: DfE, performance tables, government tables.

See also: Withheld (small numbers)

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The 9–1 scale replaced GCSE grades A*–G subject by subject from 2017. Grade 9 is the top grade.

Why it matters when comparing. Grade 9 is awarded more sparingly than the old A*, so a grade 9 share and an A* share are different measures. Charts keep the two scales apart.

Also called: grade 9, 9–1, numbered grades, grades 9–8, grades 9–7.

See also: GCSE A* (old letter grades), Top grades, High grades and C/4 or better

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The International Baccalaureate Diploma. Each subject is graded from 7 (top) to 1, and the diploma is scored out of 45.

Why it matters when comparing. For comparable figures we count Higher Level 7 as A*, 6 as A and 5 as B. Counting 5 as B is the schools’ own convention: UCAS scores a Higher Level 5 like a C.

Also called: IB, International Baccalaureate, Higher Level.

See also: Comparable figure, Cambridge Pre-U (D1 to P3)

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A university named in a record: one record and one outcome, such as “Oxford, offers”. A record giving Oxford applications, offers and acceptances holds three mentions.

Why it matters when comparing. Mentions count what publications say, not pupils, so they are never added up into a total.

Also called: mentions.

See also: Record, Where leavers went (destinations)

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We looked for that year’s figure and haven’t found one. The search is still open.

Why it matters when comparing. It is not evidence that the school published nothing, only that we haven’t found it yet.

Also called: not found yet, searched, not found.

See also: A blank (—), Not researched yet

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Nobody has searched for that year yet.

Why it matters when comparing. A blank here tells you nothing about what the school published.

Also called: not searched yet.

See also: A blank (—), No figure yet

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A university’s offer of a place, often conditional on grades. One pupil can hold several.

Why it matters when comparing. An offer isn’t a place: some offer-holders miss their grades or go elsewhere. Never compare offers with places.

Also called: offers.

See also: Accepted, Where leavers went (destinations)

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The grade tables as each school printed them, one exam system at a time.

Why it matters when comparing. They are what every comparable figure is built from, so you can check the calculation.

See also: Comparable figure

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The original document didn’t open when we last tried it.

Why it matters when comparing. A link that stops working doesn’t mean the document never existed. The figure and our earlier checks stand.

Also called: link not working, dead link.

See also: Checked against the original

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The organisation’s own document: the school’s results sheet, the Department for Education’s table, the university’s release. Record codes call it “Primary” or “P”.

Why it matters when comparing. It is the strongest source there is. Figures repeated elsewhere can drift from it.

Also called: Primary, primary source, school’s own figure.

See also: Press report and quoted second-hand, Checked against the original

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A figure we worked out from published ones, such as an offer rate from offers and applications. It is never presented as the school’s own number.

Why it matters when comparing. The inputs are listed beside it, so you can check the arithmetic yourself.

Also called: derived, calculated.

See also: Comparable figure

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The difference between two percentages: 45% against 40% is a gap of 5 percentage points, not 5%. We write “points” in sentences and “pp” in tables.

Why it matters when comparing. A gap of 5 points on 40% is a rise of an eighth, not of 5%. Mixing the two overstates or understates a difference.

Also called: pp, points.

See also: Typical gap

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A figure taken from a newspaper or another summary rather than from the organisation’s own document.

Why it matters when comparing. Treat it as a lead to check, not a result. We keep the outlet and date, and quote its wording.

Also called: press report, quoted second-hand, secondary source, Secondary.

See also: Original publication

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Published before the final figures, for example on results day before reviews of marking.

Why it matters when comparing. The school may revise it. Compare final figures with final figures where you can.

Also called: initial, preliminary.

See also: Revised by the school

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Two publications give different figures for the same thing, for example a results sheet and an annual report. We show what each says, and don’t choose between them unless we know why they differ.

Why it matters when comparing. A comparison built on one version could change with the other, so those years are left out of comparisons until the difference is settled.

Also called: sources differ, source disagreement, publications conflict.

See also: Revised by the school, Corrections and differences

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One row of published results with its source: a school, a year, and the figures one publication gave for them.

Why it matters when comparing. A count of records says how much we have collected, not how well a school did. One results table can hold many records.

Also called: records.

See also: Figure, Source, Record details and record codes

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Each record page keeps the record’s own wording and its codes in a closed section at the end: the record ID (such as fig:eton_alevel_primary_sheets:3), source references (an FB number is one of our own research files, not public; public-source-… is a catalogued document), the source tier (“Evidence P” means the original publication) and method codes such as period-check-v1.

Why it matters when comparing. Quote the record ID if you report a problem. The codes let anyone trace a figure back to its source.

Also called: record codes.

See also: Record, Source

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The school re-issued its figures. We show the current version and keep the earlier one, dated, in the record’s revision log.

Why it matters when comparing. A figure quoted before the revision may not match what the school now says.

Also called: re-issued, superseded.

See also: Publications differ, Corrections and differences

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The figure exactly as the school published it, on its own scale and with its own label.

Why it matters when comparing. It may use a different conversion, or leave a qualification out. It is always shown first.

Also called: as published, as the school published it.

See also: Comparable figure, As printed

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The document a figure came from: a school’s results sheet or annual report, a government table, a university’s release, or, less often, a press report.

Why it matters when comparing. The source decides how far to trust a figure, so every figure links to its own.

Also called: document, publication, sources.

See also: Original publication, Press report and quoted second-hand

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GCSE bands that span both scales: Top grades is A* or 9–8, High grades A*–A or 9–7, and C/4 or better A*–C or 9–4.

Why it matters when comparing. They let a school’s GCSE results be compared across the 2017 change. High grades and C/4 or better rest on Ofqual’s fixed points; Top grades is a convention.

Also called: Top grades, High grades, C/4 or better, C/4+.

See also: Comparable figure, Grade 9 and the 9–1 GCSE scale

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The middle value (the median) of the yearly gaps between two schools, over the years we can compare.

Why it matters when comparing. One unusual year moves it less than it would move an average, and it is quoted with the years it covers.

Also called: median gap, typical annual gap, median annual difference.

See also: Years we can compare (shared years), Percentage points

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The publication gives a figure but not clearly what it counts: which pupils, which exams, or whether offers or places.

Why it matters when comparing. A figure without a clear definition can’t be compared with one that has one, so it isn’t charted.

Also called: definition unresolved, outcome definition unresolved.

See also: Found, not comparable, Offer

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Compare and Test a claim end on one published scale. Too close to call: a typical gap under 1 point. Depends on the years: at least a quarter of the year ranges point the other way. Holds up, narrowly: 1 to under 3 points, with three-quarters of the ranges agreeing. Holds up: 3 points or more, with nine in ten agreeing.

Why it matters when comparing. A verdict is never stronger than the figures behind it. With fewer than three years we can compare, you get the figures and no verdict.

Also called: verdict scale, Too close to call, Depends on the years, Holds up, Holds up, narrowly.

See also: Typical gap, Year ranges, Years we can compare (shared years)

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Where a school’s leavers actually went, as its destinations list reports it.

Why it matters when comparing. Lists vary. Some give counts, some only name universities, and a university named without a count may mean one pupil or many.

Also called: destinations, destination list, leaver destinations.

See also: Offer, Mention

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The DfE hides very small numbers, marking the cell “Supp”.

Why it matters when comparing. We leave those cells blank and never work them out from other totals.

Also called: Supp, suppressed.

See also: Government (DfE) figures, A blank (—)

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Every stretch of years with at least three we can compare. Test a claim looks at each one.

Why it matters when comparing. A lead that holds in only some ranges depends on which years you pick. The ranges share years, so the counts aren’t odds.

Also called: period check, windows, every valid period.

See also: Years we can compare (shared years), Typical gap

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Years in which both schools have a usable figure on the same definition.

Why it matters when comparing. Publishing a figure isn’t enough. Years where publications disagree, grades were teacher-assessed or the definition changed are left out, so two schools can share few years.

Also called: shared years, matched years, comparable years.

See also: Typical gap, Year ranges

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