GCSE pass rate falls but number of top grades rises
It's GCSE results day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Fewer GCSEs have scored a 'pass' rate, but the number of GCSEs awarded top grades has increased, according to the national figures.
Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their exam results today.
The proportion of entries getting at least a 4 or a C grade – considered a “standard pass” – has fallen from 67.6% in 2024 to 67.4% this year – a drop of 0.2 percentage points, but higher than 67.3% in 2019.
Increase in GCSE top grades
More than a fifth (21.9%) of UK entries were awarded the top grades – at least a 7 or an A grade – this year, up by 0.1 percentage points on last year.
This was higher than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic, when 20.8% of entries achieved the top grades.
The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover GCSE entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Gap between girls and boys narrows
The gap between girls and boys at the top grades is at the narrowest point this century.
Nearly a quarter (24.5%) of girls’ GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 7/A compared to almost a fifth of boys’ entries (19.4%) – a 5.1 percentage point gap.
This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since at least 2000, which is the earliest archive data available.
Meanwhile, 70.5% of girls’ GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 4/C compared to 64.3% of boys’ entries – a 6.2 percentage point gap.
The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9%, which is the same as 2024 but is down on 98.3% in 2019.
GCSE results 'stable'
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, said this year’s GCSE results are “stable” in comparison to the past two years – when grading returned to pre-pandemic levels in England.
He said the differences this year are “natural variation” that would be seen between any year.
Sir Ian told the PA news agency: “The standard of work required to achieve a grade seven or a grade four at GCSE is the same this year as it was last year, and what we’re seeing is statistically insignificant changes at those key grades from last year to this year.
“That means basically that the underlying pattern, the underlying standard of performance amongst students from last year to this year, is stable.”
On the gender gap, Sir Ian told PA: “What we see today in the results is a very small apparent narrowing of the gap in performance between boys and girls.
“It’s important for people to understand that there is still a gap in the performance of boys and girls, but what we can say is that it doesn’t appear to be growing at the moment.”
Grading back to pre-pandemic levels
In England, Ofqual brought GCSE grading standards back in line with pre-Covid levels in 2023 and exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland returned to pre-pandemic grading last year.
The move came after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.
Many of the pupils who are receiving their GCSE results this summer were in Year 6 when schools closed because of the pandemic.
Education leaders have warned that these pupils, who moved from primary to secondary school in the middle of the pandemic, have faced a series of challenges – including school attendance issues and cost-of-living pressures.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this cohort of students had shown “remarkable resilience” despite the disruption to their education.
While traditional A*-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.
In England, many students who do not secure at least a grade 4 – which is considered a “standard pass” – in English and/or maths GCSE are required to retake the subjects during post-16 education.