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Greater Manchester has officially been crowned the ‘smartest area’ of the UK
48% more students in Greater Manchester achieve the top GCSE grade of 9 in the core subjects of Maths, English, and Science than the average.
Emily Sergeant -
26th January 2022 
A new study has revealed that Greater Manchester has officially been crowned the smartest area of the UK.
According to the research, on average, 48% more students in Greater Manchester achieve the top GCSE grade of 9 in the core subjects of Maths, English Language and Literature, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, than the average for all the regions on the list.
Greater Manchester also has over 200% more students attaining Grade 9s on average than Kent – which is the region where students achieve the fewest Grade 9s.
The research – which has been carried out by international education providers Oxford Summer School – saw new data from the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) analysed to discover which areas in the UK achieved the highest average results for core GCSE subjects in 2021.
Following Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear is the second most intelligent area in the UK.
45% more students in the North East area achieved a Grade 9 in the core subjects, than the average for all regions surveyed, and Tyne and Wear also has 214% more students attaining a Grade 9 in Maths, Science, and English Language and Literature, than Kent.
Cambridgeshire is the third smartest region in the UK, with 44% more students in the area achieving a Grade 9 in the core subjects compared to the average, while Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight round out the top five.
Cheshire claims the sixth spot, while fellow Northern regions of Cumbria and West Yorkshire claim places in the top 15.
Top 15 Most Intelligent Places in the UK
- Greater Manchester
- Tyne and Wear
- Cambridgeshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Isle of Wight
- Cheshire
- West Midlands
- Essex
- Greater London
- Cumbria
- Hampshire
- Rutland
- Gloucestershire
- West Yorkshire
- Cornwall
At the other end of the scale, as already mentioned, Kent is the area where students achieve the lowest percentage of Grade 9s in the key GCSE subjects of Maths, Science and English Language – which is 53% less than the average for all regions.
Merseyside, Suffolk, and Surrey are all places that also rank lower on the list, with students achieving 33%, 25%, and 20% fewer Grade 9s at GCSE than the average for all UK areas.
Featured Image – Unsplash (Clay Banks)
