Northern Ireland's GCSE pupils get overall best results in UK
The pass rate here was 86.8%
Last updated 24th Aug 2023
GCSE pupils in Northern Ireland have overall received the strongest results of any UK region, with the highest percentage of top grades and passes.
34.5% of GCSE entries here were awarded the top grades 7/A or above, while the pass rate was 86.8%.
More than 30,000 students across Northern Ireland are receiving their marks today.
Exam officials say this year’s grades reflect the continuing journey to pre-pandemic grading, with results higher than 2019, but lower than 2022.
This is the second-time students have undertaken summer exams marked and graded by exam boards since 2019.
GCSE entries in Northern Ireland have increased slightly to 168,118 from 164,413 in 2022. A 2.3 percentage point increase, in line with the rise in school population this year.
The GCSE results in Northern Ireland show that 86.8% of students received grade C/4 and above, and 34.5% achieved grade A/7 and above.
Girls continue to have higher outcomes at A/7 and above by 10% points, and at C/4 and above by 3.7% points.
English Language & Mathematics In GCSE English Language, 27.3% of entries achieved A/7 and above, and 86.5% achieved grade C/4 and above.
This year’s figures for GCSE Mathematics show that 29.2% of entries achieved A/7 grade and above, whilst 76.4% of entries were awarded a grade C/4 or above.
Subject entries Subject choices reflect no change in the top five, with 41.6% of all GCSE entries in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. This year, STEM entries rose by 2.5%
Commenting on today’s results CCEA Chief Executive Gerry Campbell said, “On behalf of CCEA, congratulations to all students collecting their results today. The results are the culmination of two years’ hard work and commitment by these students, their school leaders, teachers and wider school community.
Thank you to the teachers, exams officers, examiners and moderators for their support and dedication which helped to ensure a successful delivery of this year’s examinations and assessments.
Also, I wish to acknowledge the important role of the thousands of parents and carers across Northern Ireland, as they have guided and supported our young people throughout their studies.
Well done to every student and I wish you all the very best for the next stage of your journey.”
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