Jersey: updates following release of DfE 2024 Benchmarks into Connect and Summit

Jersey: updates following release of DfE 2024 Benchmarks into Connect and Summit

2024 A Level Results in England 

This article presents an overview of the findings from the Alps review of the DfE national dataset from 2024. It takes you through our findings and analysis from the dataset, and outlines how we have deployed this to Connect and Summit. 

It concludes with an overview of the reasoning behind our choice of benchmark selection for analysing your 2024 results for A level, and for monitoring your Year 13 and 12 cohorts across 2024/25 and 2025/26. 


What we know about the 2024 outcomes for A level England

The percentage of different grades are broadly in line with those awarded in 2023 at both cohort and student level. 


A level Attainment Profile - England
Results for attainment showing gaps between 2019 and 2024, and between 2023 and 2024. 



The key points: 
Compared with 2019,
  1. the percentage A* is 1.6% higher
  2. the percentage A*-A is 2.5% higher
  3. the percentage A*-B is 2.5% higher
Compared with 2023,
  1. the percentage A* is 0.6% higher
  2. the percentage A*-A is 1.1% higher
  3. the percentage A*-B is 0.9% higher

Prior attainment and cohort context 2019-2025


The 2024 results saw the return of an examined baseline and examined outcome set for Key Stage 5 students. Using the data submitted to Alps since results day, we have carried out a thorough analysis of the dataset and present our findings below. 

Prior attainment baseline


The table above shows that the average prior attainment GCSE score is lower than the TAGs of last year's cohort, but still higher than the 2019 value of 6.11. This means that if we were to represent the value-added profile diagrammatically over the past few years, we would see the following pattern. 




The starting point has fluctuated over the past few years, but the outcome end point has also fluctuated. The arrow shows the relative size of the value-added progress journey.

The 2024 value-added arrow shows a more truncated picture than in 2019. The DfE 2024 data is therefore unique to that year group. 


Comparison of DfE 2024 and DfE 2019 datasets 


If we compare DfE 2024 with the DfE 2019 we can see this value-added difference in the graphs below: 

Graph 1 shows the the Alps prior attainment bands for A level from 1 to 11 and the proportion of students in each band. It compares the 2024 DfE national dataset with the DfE 2019 national dataset.



There remains a larger proportion of students in the top few bands, but with numbers beginning to fall back towards 2019 levels. 

In terms of Minimum Expected Points, diagram below compares the target points required at the 75th percentile across Alps bands. 


In most prior attainment bands, the MEPs generated from the 2024 DfE benchmarks are lower than the DfE 2019 MEPs. This highlights the different value-added progress picture. 

Translating those MEPs into grades, we arrive at the Minimum Expected Grades or MEGs. We can see in the table below that the MEGs needed in 2024 are lower when comparing the two datasets. 



What happens now with the 2024 DfE national benchmark?


On 21st May 2025 we released the 2024 DfE national benchmark into Connect and Summit. The benchmark has been applied to historical gradepoints only, namely the gradepoints for KS5 A level from September 2023 up to and including the examination gradepoint for 2024. 
The 2024 DfE national data will NOT be used for gradepoints from September 2024 onwards, in other words for monitoring your current Year 13 and 12 students. We believe that the 2019 national data provides more representative analysis for the 2025 examinations in terms of value-added. 


Your current Year 13 students are set to return to a profile more similar to 2019: 
  1. Students in Year 13 for 2024.25 sat GCSE examinations in 2023 where standards returned to levels more similar to 2019.  
  2. Examination outcomes for this cohort remain to be established, but are likely to be similar to levels somewhere between 2019 and 2024 depending on the ability of the cohort. 

Therefore, the 2019 national dataset would be the most likely choice when monitoring this cohort across their KS5 courses. 


Summary of the benchmarks in Connect and Summit 


The tables below show which datasets are applied to which benchmark for which Academic Year. 





Vocational qualifications : 2024

Single grade qualifications were awarded in line with 2019 at M & P but more generously at D & D*.

Double grade qualifications were awarded in line with 2019 below DD but more generously at DD+.

Triple grade qualifications were awarded in line with 2019 at DDD but were slightly more generous at grades D*DD+.



Prior attainment and cohort context 

The prior attainment of students completing courses in 2024 was elevated when compared to students completing vocational courses in 2019. This was due to elevated KS4 examination outcomes in 2022. 

Comparison of DfE 2024 to the DfE 2019 dataset

MEPs and MEGs

The picture is similar to that of A level but not as pronounced. 

We can see in the table below that the MEGs needed in 2024 are slightly lower across the bands and the qualifications than in 2019. 




What happens now with the 2024 DfE national benchmark?


On 21st May 2025 we released the 2024 DfE national benchmark into Connect and Summit. The benchmark has been applied to historical gradepoints only, namely the gradepoints for KS5 vocational from September 2023 up to and including the examination gradepoint for 2024. 
The 2024 DfE national data will NOT be used for gradepoints from September 2024 onwards, in other words for monitoring your current Year 13 and 12 students. We believe that the 2019 national data provides more representative analysis for the 2025 examinations in terms of value-added as per A level table above. 

    • Related Articles

    • Switching your benchmarks in Connect and Summit

      Selecting and switching benchmarks in Connect and Summit This article will describe the ways in which you can select benchmarks on the platforms and view your analysis against either the national benchmark or the provider benchmark. The benchmark ...

    • Switching your benchmarks in Connect and Summit

      Selecting and switching benchmarks in Connect and Summit This article will describe the ways in which you can select benchmarks on the platforms and view your analysis against either the national benchmark or the provider benchmark. The benchmark ...

    • Analysis and recommendations from 2024 DfE datasets - OVERVIEW ARTICLE

      Overview article for all analysis from 2024 DfE datasets We are in the process of generating benchmarks from the national dataset published by the DfE following the 2024 examinations at KS4 and KS5. Alps is only one of seven companies that are given ...

    • Key information on the 2023 DfE national benchmarks for KS4 England - September 2024

      This article gives a summary of the 2023 DfE national benchmarks for KS4 in England. These are the default benchmarks in Connect and Summit. Application of the 2023 DfE benchmarks Alps is one of the few companies to receive the DfE published the full ...

    • Using the switch benchmark tools in CONNECT and SUMMIT - AUGUST 2024

      Selecting and switching benchmarks in Connect and Summit This article will describe the ways in which you can select benchmarks on the platforms and view your analysis against either the national benchmark or the client benchmark. The benchmark ...