I agree with Jon Barker above. A few years back there was a real push to get girls to do better in exams because they were so far behind. The resultant changes meant that girls started doing better and have now overtaken boys. I don't know if the year-by-year comparisons show that boys are doing worse or if they have just been overtaken by better acheiving girls. What almost certainly will happen is that the government (in its infinite wisdom!) will make more changes to try and improve boys scores and in a few years time we will end up talking about it how girls are not acheiving as much as boys and the cycle will start again...

Uday P, London,

The reason boys do worse specifically at my school is they are constantly not taking things seriously and would rather muck about with there mates and play footie than revise and completehomework.Then they wonder why they got d's in their mock gcse in december. I find it very funny how they belive they can spend one week of stressful revising is enough to pass them rather than consistant revising.

charlotte, london,

Professor Tymms said “If you want boys to do well, you give them a speedy multiple choice. If you want girls to do better, get them to write an essay.”

This does not necessarily follow. In my experience as a school pupil, it very much depends on the person's academic preference as opposed to their sex.

Although many of my male friendes prefer scientific subjects, many females (including myself) also prefer sciences, and therefore perform better in the more 'scienitific' approach to exams of multiple choice. While the majority of my female friends do prefer literary subjects, so do many of my male friends, consequently performing better in essay-type exams.

It is not always about a persons sex whether they perform better in one exam over another, but it is more to do with their own preference and how well prepared they are.

Elaine, Forfar, Angus, UK