Pupils in Northamptonshire receive GCSE results after Covid disruption to start of secondary school
Sir Keir Starmer has told GCSE pupils they have done "an incredible job".
London and north-east England continue to have the highest and lowest proportion of GCSE entries awarded grade 7/A or above in England, but the gap between the regions has narrowed for the first time in nearly a decade.
In London, 28.5% of entries were awarded 7/A or higher this year, up slightly from 28.4% in 2023, while for north-east England the figure was 17.8%, up from 17.6%.
The gap between these two regions this year stood at 10.7 percentage points, down from 10.8 points in 2023.
It is the first time this gap has narrowed year-on-year since 2016, when it fell from 7.7 points to 7.5 points.
Since 2016, it had got larger in every year, peaking at 10.8 points in 2023, before narrowing slightly in 2024.
The gap this year at grade 7/A between south-east England (24.7%) and north-east England (17.8%) is 6.9 points, up slightly from 6.8 points in 2023 but lower than 7.1 points in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Some six of the nine regions of England saw a rise this year in the proportion of GCSE entries awarded grade 7/A or above, with one showing no change (north-west England) and two seeing a fall: the East Midlands, down 0.2 points from 18.5% to 18.3%, and eastern England. down 0.5 points from 21.9% to 21.4%.
Nearly all regions of England saw a higher proportion of entries getting the top grades this year compared with the pre-pandemic year of 2019, with two exceptions: the East Midlands and north-west England, where the figures were unchanged.
Meanwhile Sir Keir Starmer has told GCSE pupils they have done "an incredible job".
The Prime Minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "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."
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has thanked teachers and staff who helped students achieve their GCSE results.
Ms Phillipson wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "Congratulations to all students getting results today, and a huge thank you to the incredible teachers and staff who've supported you along the way.
"You've shown amazing resilience, overcoming challenges, and you should be proud of all you've achieved. Well done."