Boys set to close exam gap.

GCSE results out on Thursday should show boys continuing to close the gap with girls, headteachers said.

While the gulf at the top remained unchanged last year, with female entries gaining 5.3per cent more A* and A grades, males took a small bite out of their lead at the crucial A* to C grade level, cutting it by 0.3per cent to 8.9per cent.

That sparked hopes that the influence of anti-school "lad culture" may at last be on the decline and the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) said it hoped to see the gap narrow further this year.

Last year, 55.4per cent of girls and 44.8per cent of boys got five A* to Cs.

In 2001, the difference between the sexes across the range of grades from A* to G, the lowest possible pass, also stayed static at 0.7per cent.

Girls have trounced boys every year since GCSEs were introduced in 1989 and the difference between the proportion of male and female GCSE entries awarded a C or better had climbed to 10.6per cent by 1999.