Grading and Admissions Data for England
Grading and Admissions Data for England (GRADE) is a linked, de-identified administrative dataset including data from Ofqual, the Department for Education (DfE), and UCAS.
It allows accredited researchers to conduct independent research on the educational, assessment, and admission systems in England.
GRADE covers the period 2017-2022. This allows in-depth research and evaluation of grading arrangements in 2020, when exams were cancelled and alternative arrangements were put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More broadly, the dataset enables research to enhance the quality of the assessment system and produce evidence to inform future education policy, particularly around the fairness of methods for measuring students’ attainment. GRADE also enables research into the impact of the pandemic on the education system.
Component datasets and linkage
Grading and Admissions Data for England contains: Ofqual data on GCSE and A-level qualifications and examinations; Department for Education data from the National Pupil Database, including exam results, prior attainment and census data; and UCAS data: applications and applicants' data, including socio-demographic information..
| Timeframe | Academic year 2016/2017 to 2021/2022 |
|---|---|
| Update Frequency | As required |
| Population | Students in England taking GCSE and A levels |
| Coverage | England only |
| Size | ~4 million records |
Stakeholder webinar
If you would like your research to be informed by organisations representing the interests of children and young people, then watch our stakeholder webinar. You will hear from a variety of community stakeholders about their organisation’s priorities and how your research outputs could support their work:
Examples of research questions
- How do socio-demographic factors affect young people’s education and university admissions?
- Which factors influence students’ choices at A level and university admission?
- What long-term trends can be seen in the education, assessment and admission systems in England, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic?
This list is illustrative only and intended to demonstrate the research potential of the dataset. For research priorities, see the areas of research interest (external website).
Core documentation
Data dictionary
Data specifications are available from Ofqual, UCAS, and DfE (NPD) on .gov.uk.
This documentation will be updated soon. Please contact Data.Sharing@ofqual.gov.uk with any questions.
Other supporting resources
| Resource | Description |
| Synthetic data | A low-fidelity synthetic dataset with the same format and structure of the real data, but containing only made-up information based on simulated data, is available by request. Please email data.sharing@ofqual.gov.uk. |
| Data Explained | This Data Explained summarises experiences and learning gained during the course of producing research into teacher assessment compared to external exams. |
Research highlights
- Non-journal publications: Two research reports looking at the awarding of centre assessment grades for GCSEs, AS and A levels in summer 2020
- ADR UK is funding Research Fellows using GRADE for the following projects:
- Leckie, G., & Maragkou, K. (2023). Student Sociodemographic and School Type Differences in Teacher-Predicted vs. Achieved Grades for University Admission. Bristol Working Papers in Education Series. Working Paper: 04/2023. Article.
- Prior, L., & Leckie, G. (2023). An investigation of student intersectional sociodemographic and school variation in GCSE final grades in England in 2020. Bristol Working Papers in Education Series. Working Paper: 01/2023. Article.
- Prior, L., & Leckie, G. (2023). School differences on whether and where students apply to university. British Journal of Sociology of Education, Forthcoming.
- Magowan, L. (2023). Centre assessment grades in 2020: a natural experiment for investigating bias in teacher judgements. J Comput Soc Sc 6, 609–653 (2023). doi.org/10.1007/s42001-023-00206-x
Accessing the data
Accredited researchers with an approved project can access the GRADE dataset via the ONS Secure Research Service.
1. Apply to become an accredited researcher under the Digital Economy Act 2017
- Apply for researcher accreditation through the People & Projects Service: How to access: Apply for researcher accreditation.
2. Apply for an accredited research project
- View the GRADE dataset on the ADR UK Data Catalogue
- Submit an application to the Project Accreditation Service for SRS: Apply for an accredited research project – ONS.
3. Access the data securely
The options available to access this dataset are:
- Safe Rooms – based in ONS offices in Titchfield and Newport, open Monday-Friday, 9.00-16.00
- SafePod Network– a small, self-contained secure room with a single workstation
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – the ability to access the ONS Secure Research Service from your office or home. Check what arrangements your institution already has or can put in place.
ADR UK Research Fellowships
ADR UK funds policy-relevant research using ADR England flagship datasets. Research fellows address priority research questions, generate insights and demonstrate the value of ADR England data. These datasets are held securely within the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service or other trusted research environments.
Use this dataset for your project
The following resources have been developed to support applicants planning to use this dataset:
Find out more
Find more information about the data on the ADR UK Data Catalogue or gov.uk.
