... women have degrees and enter master's programmes, and the gap between gender-linked specialized subjects seems to be disappearing too (Wrigley 1992). This seems unavoidable according to Epstein, Elwood, Hey and Maw (1998) "...it should be emphasised that raising levels of pupil achievement does not necessarily entail reducing educational inequalities, in fact, standards can rise while the equality gaps widens" (p.73). So it seems that measures undertaken to improve opportunities for girls were extremely successful. Figures used to gauge the effectiveness of education and to draw comparisons between gender attainment are usually based on standard 5 GCSE, at grade C or above, otherwise known as the GCSE Benchmark (Gorard, Rees, and Salisbury, 1999). There are also assessments throughout a child's educational life. "Academic achievement is the cornerstone of the educational enterprise. It is most often used as the basis for judging individual and systemic educational outcomes" (Knopp Bilen and Pollard 1993, p.90). ...

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