Boys are behind girls in Level 3 technical and vocational exams as well as A levels

Analysis of gender attainment gaps in T levels and other Level 3 technical qualifications shows that boys are worryingly behind at all levels in exactly the same way as they are in academic exams and assessments from early years right up to higher education.

With the Government’s renewed focus on technical and vocational qualifications – and the attempts to achieve equal recognition of their importance to both young people and the wider economy, T levels (the equivalent to three A levels) and technical level qualifications (precursor to the incoming V levels) are all taking a higher priority – albeit the media narrative remains focused on A levels. Parity of esteem, as we all know, as a reality, does not reach far beyond the inner confines of the Further Education sector.

In terms of comparative gender performance, a familiar pattern emerges, parallel to the academic A level route. Male students are behind female students in technical qualifications as they are in academic ones, at every level from early years to higher education.

T levels

The T level results released on Thursday 13th August show that alongside those with A levels unveiled the same day, boys are not achieving at a level equal to girls. In many respects this position is clearer given that, unlike with A levels, there is near parity in the numbers of learners taking them – 9,699 females and 9,878 males. This gives a more clearly defined picture in terms of the existence of attainment gaps without having to take into account differential entry rates.

Despite this, as the Department for Education graphic below shows, for those receiving merit or distinction/plus grades, the pass rate for female students entering these qualifications was 56.2%. For males it was somewhat lower at 45.6%.

Level 3 Vocational and Technical Performance Table Qualifications (PTQs)

Male students are also behind female students in other vocational and technical exams, run by organisations including Pearsons (BTECS), City and Guilds’ (Certificates) and Cambridge OCR (Cambridge Technicals).

Ofqual also aggregates the data, and the table below shows the entry pass rate for female students is 86.3% at Merit/Distinction level, and 80% for male students.

As with T Levels, the entry numbers are similar between male and female students so any assessment of the results, unlike at A level, is not distorted by differences in entry numbers.

Image/data from OfQual website

It is becoming urgent for research to find out why it is that boys are failing to achieve as successfully as girls in vocational as well as academic study.

By Marks Brooks, Director at the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys.