Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39362692›Full record

Observational studyThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2025

Language of primary medical qualification and differential MRCGP exam attainment: an observational study.

Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Joanne Haviland, Garima Priyadarshini, Melody Turner, Riya Elizabeth George, Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena, Simon Gregory

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Victoria Tzortziou BrownWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London.ORCID 0000-0001-9819-6395
Joanne HavilandWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London.ORCID 0000-0001-5728-3636
Garima PriyadarshiniWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London.ORCID 0000-0003-3851-0500
Melody TurnerGreat Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London; visiting researcher, The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge.ORCID 0000-0001-9759-210X
Riya Elizabeth GeorgeFaculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London.
Aloysius Niroshan SiriwardenaUniversity of Lincoln, Lincoln.ORCID 0000-0003-2484-8201
Simon GregoryHomerton College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge.ORCID 0000-0002-8158-9464

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInternational medical graduates (IMGs) comprise more than half of GP registrars but are more likely to fail postgraduate assessments than UK graduates.

aimTo assess whether there is an association between the language of the primary medical qualification (PMQ) and Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) results, and whether performance in previous prequalification assessments is correlated. DESIGN AND

settingRetrospective observational study in the UK.

methodThe World Directory of Medical Schools and the UK Medical Education databases were used to obtain data for all candidates who sat the MRCGP exams between October 2013 and July 2021 (

resultsIMGs who trained in countries with non-English as a first language had statistically significantly lower odds of passing the exams and lower exam scores across all exam components. There were statistically significant positive correlations between MRCGP exam scores and MSRA, IELTS, and PLAB scores.

conclusionEnglish being the language of the PMQ and undertaking medical training in a country with English as the native language seemed to result in statistically significantly better chances of passing the exams and better exam scores. Performance in prequalification assessments can help to identify those IMG registrars who may benefit from tailored support.

Indexed as

Clinical CompetenceEducational MeasurementEducation, Medical, GraduateForeign Medical GraduatesGeneral PracticeGeneral PractitionersLanguageFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesUnited Kingdomdifferential attainmenteducational assessmentgeneral practicelanguage trainingmedical education

Identifiers

PMID39362692
PMCPMC11881006

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.