Literacy news
GCSE results 'dip during World Cup summers'
12 Dec 2011
Many students who take GCSEs during international football tournaments get worse results than they would in a football-free summer, a study suggests.
A study of 3.5m GCSE students' results between 2002 and 2008 suggests on average they dropped a quarter of a grade in each exam during such events.
Both boys and girls were affected, with poor boys hit the hardest.
The researchers, led by Robert Metcalfe at Oxford University, suggested that in even years, when tournaments are held, there are "increased inequalities".
"For the most affected, which are disadvantaged boys, they have a much larger drop, the effect is doubled."
It means this group can drop about half a grade in each exam taken during a big football competition.
However, this passion for football among students can be harnessed for good using resources like our Premier League Reading Stars.
The resource uses pupils’ enthusiasm for sport in order to encourage them to engage more with literacy, helping improve their results across the board.
Read more about the resource.
For the full story visit BBC Education.
