Girls routinely get better grades than boys in class - and researchers think they know why

Article here. Excerpt:

'This bias against boys could mean the difference between a pass and a fail, and could have wider consequences in areas such as college admission, job choice and earnings, the researchers warn.

"There is a strong correlation between having higher grades and desirable educational outcomes, such as gaining admission to good colleges or having a lower probability of dropping out of school," said Ilaria Lievore.
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In line with previous studies, the girls performed better than the boys in the standardised tests of language, while the boys were ahead at maths.

But the teachers put the girls ahead in both subjects. The girls' average grade in language was 6.6 out of 10, while the boys got 6.2. In maths, the average for the girls was 6.3, while the boys averaged 5.9 - below the pass mark of 6.

The analysis also showed that when a boy and a girl were similarly competent at a subject, the girl would typically receive a higher grade.'