GCSE results for 16-year-olds return to pre-Covid levels

The aftermath of the Covid pandemic has been squeezed out of GCSE results as 16-year-olds received grades more similar to pre-pandemic levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But there were wide regional variations in results across England, with students in London powering ahead of pre-pandemic grades, while top grades in Wales and Northern Ireland came down with a bump compared with last year.

Ian Bauckham, the head of England’s exams regulator, Ofqual, hailed this year’s results as a return to consistency, with 70.4% of entries by pupils in year 11 receiving a grade 4 – equivalent to a C – or higher, a touch higher than the 70.3% in 2023 and half a percentage point above 2019.

Bauckham said: “It is evidence that we have settled back into a pattern of dependable and trustworthy results.

“Exams and assessments are tough tests for students, but they want the opportunity to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do – and they want their final qualification grade to reflect this accurately.

“The exam system in England has delivered this again, and students, employers and educators can be confident in these results.”

Catherine McKinnell, the schools minister for England, said: “While this is a moment to celebrate, I am deeply concerned about the inequalities in our education system, with where you live and what type of school you attend still being too big an influence on your opportunities.

“Our review of the curriculum will break down barriers and ensure art, sport, music and drama are no longer the preserve of a privileged few.”

The proportion of private school pupils awarded top grades increased to 48.4% of entries with grade 7 or higher, up from 48.1% in 2018-19 before the pandemic.

Overall, the top grade 9 was awarded to 5.1% of the more than 5m courses taken by 16-year-olds in England, a fraction better than in 2023. The proportion awarded 7 or higher – equivalent to an A – was 22.6%, up from 22.4% in 2023 and 21.8% in 2019, one of the highest rates seen outside the pandemic years. In 2021, when grades were at their highest, 30% of GCSEs received a grade 7 or above.

In England, 1,270 students received straight 9 grades in all of their subjects, 65% of whom were girls, while 145 received 9s in 11 or more GCSE courses taken.

Girls aged 16 gained 25.5% of grades 7 and higher in England, compared with 19.8% for boys. The gap between the two narrowed slightly by 0.1 of a percentage point, compared with 2023.

The proportion of year 11 pupils achieving a grade 4 and above in English and maths fell slightly, meaning that more students will retake the subjects while in post-16 education.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, regulators had opted for a more gentle progression from the higher levels of awards made by teacher assessment during 2020 and 2021, when no formal exams were held. England largely returned to pre-pandemic grading last year.

As a result, the proportion of A*s and As awarded to 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland dropped from 35.1% to 31%, and Cs or above from 87% to 82.4%.

In Wales, the top A* and A grades for 16-year-olds dipped from 22% in 2023 to 19.4%, and the proportion of Cs from 65.6% to 63.2%, which was lower than in 2019.

Lynne Neagle, the cabinet secretary for education in Wales, said: “This year is our final step back towards pre-pandemic exam arrangements and today’s results are where we expected them to be with outcomes similar to 2019.

“I would also like to thank our teachers and education workforce who have worked incredibly hard to support our learners to succeed.”

Education funding and policy is devolved to national governments, with substantial variations in GCSE exam structure and course content that make direct comparisons between jurisdictions difficult. Scotland has a different qualifications system and most students received their results earlier this month.

Apart from GCSEs, a further 200,000 students will receive results for BTec courses, while about 120,000 receive results for Cambridge Nationals qualifications.

Pepe Di’lasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, congratulated pupils on their successes but warned: “This is not the story in England for a significant proportion of students who fall short of achieving at least a grade 4 GCSE pass in English and maths, and so will be consigned to a remorseless treadmill of resits in post-16 education under rules drawn up by the last government.

“As this year’s results show, most of these students once again fall short of the grade 4 benchmark in their resits. This is completely demoralising.

“It is imperative that the government’s curriculum and assessment review considers how we can do better for these young people – and a good start would be to scrap the requirements which compel mass resits.”