The paper by Hazelwood, FitzGibbon and McCabe (this issue, pp. 61–68) established that TVEI pupils perceived their school experiences differently from non‐TVEI pupils. The same questionnaires used in that study were also used to collect data on attitudes to TVEI. Additionally a cognitive test was administered and examination data for the public examinations of the summer of 1987 were collected for each pupil. This pupil‐level data was analysed to examine the apparent effects of TVEI on pupils’ qualifications and attitudes. The ‘performance indicators’ were not favourable to TVEI: pupils had slightly fewer qualifications and lower grades on the examinations they had taken, and attitudes were little affected. Reasons for these findings are considered.