Every head of department knows the feeling. September has arrived, the new timetable is in place, but before you’ve even remembered everyone’s names, you’ve been handed a spreadsheet the size of a small novella. 

The annual ritual of exam analysis begins: percentages, value-added scores, coloured traffic lights and rows of data that all tell us a variation of what we already know: that some students did better than others. 

It’s little wonder that many leaders dread this part of the school year. Done badly, exam analysis is time-consuming, dispiriting and often inconclusive.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. When approached thoughtfully, exam analysis can provide powerful insights into what really matters: how we teach, what we teach and how we develop our teams. Here are some practical ways to make the process work for you, rather than against you.

1. Move beyond the headline figures

The first temptation is to focus only on the big numbers: overall pass rates, progress scores or the percentage of students achieving a certain grade. These figures matter for accountability, but they rarely tell us much about where teaching needs to improve.

A more fruitful approach is to look for patterns. Did students consistently drop marks on certain types of questions - for example, extended writing, data interpretation or applying theory to unfamiliar contexts? Was there a particular topic whose results were lower across the cohort? Were higher-ability students capped at a grade boundary because of a single skills gap?

These are the kinds of insights that can start a meaningful conversation about curriculum and pedagogy. It shifts the discussion from “how well did they do?” to “what did they find difficult, and why?”

2. Link exam outcomes to curriculum planning

Once you’ve established the patterns, the next step is to respond to them effectively.

If students underperform on a particular paper or question type, the instinct can be to respond with bolt-on interventions: an extra revision session here, a bank of practice questions there. These might help in the short term but do little to address the underlying issue.

Instead, exam analysis should feed back into curriculum design. If students struggle with map skills, for example, that’s a sign the topic isn’t something to cram into the last term of Year 11. It suggests a need to build map interpretation into lessons across Years 7 to 11, in a way that helps it to become second nature. Similarly, if responses to evaluation questions are consistently weak, this may point to missed opportunities earlier in the curriculum to build argument, comparison and judgement skills into everyday tasks.

The most effective departments treat exam analysis as a curriculum audit. Where are the gaps in knowledge or skill? At what point in the five-year journey should these be addressed? How do we ensure students revisit and practise them over time?

3. Use data to shape professional development

Exam outcomes don’t just tell us about students, though: they also shine a light on where staff may need greater support. This isn’t about finger pointing; it’s about using evidence to direct CPD in a way that genuinely helps teachers.

If your exam analysis shows that students across classes struggled with extended writing, then whole-department CPD on teaching writing in your subject may be valuable. If only one group performed unusually poorly on a specific paper, it may be more appropriate to provide targeted coaching or mentoring.

Crucially, CPD should link back to subject knowledge. Heads of department are often the subject experts best placed to lead training. If the exam data shows weaknesses in a particular topic area, consider running short refresher sessions for staff or sharing resources that clarify tricky concepts. CPD is most effective when it grows teachers’ confidence in teaching the subject, not just generic strategies.

4. Remember the limits of exam data

Exams provide useful information, but they are not the whole story. They capture how students performed on a particular day, under pressure, in response to a specific set of questions. That snapshot may not fully reflect the breadth of what students know or can do.

It’s therefore important to triangulate. Compare the exam data with internal assessments, classwork and what teachers observed across the year. Did the exam highlight a genuine weakness, or did it simply catch students on the wrong day? Equally, did some students exceed expectations because the paper happened to suit their strengths?

Acknowledging these limits helps prevent knee-jerk reactions. It encourages a more balanced view that combines hard numbers with professional judgement.

5. Make the conversation collaborative

Exam analysis shouldn’t be something a head of department does alone in their office with a red pen. It works best when the whole team engages with the findings.

One effective strategy is to present anonymised examples of common errors from exam scripts at a department meeting. Ask what misconceptions students might have held and what could be done to adapt teaching earlier in the course to address those misconceptions. This makes the discussion concrete and practical rather than abstract.

Equally, highlight successes. Where did students perform strongly? What teaching approaches might have contributed to that success? Sharing good practice is just as important as identifying weaknesses.

By involving the team in the analysis, you not only generate more useful ideas but also create shared ownership of the next steps.

6. Focus on improvement, not blame

Perhaps the most important point is to treat exam analysis as a tool for growth rather than judgement. When the process becomes about allocating blame - whether to teachers, students or even the exam board - it achieves little beyond resentment.

Instead, frame the analysis around improvement. Focus on questions like: what can we learn? What can we change? How do we make next year’s experience better for staff and students alike? This keeps the focus firmly on the future.

Making exam analysis work for you

Yes, September exam analysis can feel daunting. The spreadsheets are long, the numbers sometimes disheartening and the conversations occasionally difficult. But approached in the right way, this process can be one of the most powerful levers for school improvement.

It’s about moving past the headline figures to uncover patterns of strength and weakness. It’s about using those insights to shape curriculum planning and staff development. It’s about treating data as a starting point for professional dialogue, not an endpoint in itself.

Handled well, exam analysis doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore. It can be an opportunity - a chance to reflect, refine and refocus. If we approach it in this way, we ensure that the lessons we learn from one cohort benefit the next.