Greater Manchester pupils receive GCSE results through app
They're among some of the first in the country to take part in a Government trial
Thousands of GCSE pupils in Greater Manchester have received their results through an app, for the first time.
The Government is trialling a new way of delivering grades, which could see the traditional brown envelope ditched.
More than one in five entrants are expected to get the top grades, but there is a warning Covid could have a detrimental impact.
Teenagers receiving their results on Thursday (21 August) would have started school in 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
Last year, more than a fifth (21.8%) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades - at least a 7 or an A grade, down from 22.0% in 2023.
But it remained higher than in 2019 - the year before the Covid-19 pandemic - when 20.8% of UK GCSE entries scored the top grades.
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.
Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research (CEER) at the University of Buckingham, has suggested that the proportion of GCSE entries scoring the top grades this summer could be similar to last year but remain higher than in 2019.
Last week, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades surpassed pre-pandemic highs.
This summer, more than 95,000 pupils in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will receive their results using an app as part of a Government pilot.
The Education Record, which will bring pupils' GCSE exam results and certificates into one app, aims to help young people when applying to further education, apprenticeships or employment.
Many of the pupils who are receiving their GCSE results this summer were in Year 6 when schools closed because of the pandemic.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this cohort of students - who moved from primary to secondary school in the middle of the pandemic - had shown "remarkable resilience" despite the disruption to their education.
Education leaders warned they had faced a series of challenges - including school attendance issues and cost-of-living pressures.
There has been a rise in requests from young people who want extra time in their exams - and who want to sit in rooms away from the main exam hall - since the pandemic, it has been suggested.
Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA), told the PA news agency: "I think we're going to go on experiencing the negative impact of Covid-19 and the cost-of-living situation for a number of years still."
He added that there are more young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) which "makes it difficult" for schools and colleges to accommodate all their needs.
Colleges have been faced with "large numbers" of students who are calling for their own room, invigilator, and extra time to do exams, Mr Watkin said.
He added: "It's very difficult to provide for all of them.
"There just aren't enough rooms or enough invigilators and that's not going to get easier anytime in the immediate future."