Hundreds of thousands of teenagers have received their GCSE results with a slight drop in the proportion of top grades awarded from last year.
The approach to grading in England returned to pre-pandemic levels last year and this year exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland have also made the transition.
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said the number of result is the biggest ever across the three nations with more than 6.5 million issued across GCSEs as well as Level 1 and 2 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs).
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The GCSE results are similar to last year, with more than a fifth of entries, or 21.8%, awarded the top grades – at least a 7 or A grade – slightly down on the 22% in 2023, but higher than the 20.8% in 2019 before the pandemic.
Some 67.6% of grades were awarded at 4 or C and above, which is considered the standard pass grade, compared with 68.2% in 2023 and 67.3% in 2019.
The proportion getting a grade 1 or G or above is 97.9%, down from 98% in 2023 and 98.3% in 2019.
While traditional A* to G grades are used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest.
A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A.
GCSE entries increased by 4.8% to more than 6.1 million, resulting in just over 50,000 more top grades being awarded than last year.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on X: “Congratulations to those receiving their GCSE results today – you’ve done an incredible job.
“I know the power of education and opportunity. My government will make sure everyone’s path is determined by their talent, skills and ambition, not where you come from.”
Pandemic disruption
Education disruption due to…
