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Students face nervous wait for GCSE and BTec results Students receive their GCSE and BTec results
(about 8 hours later)
Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive GCSE, BTec Tech Awards and other Level 2 results on Thursday. Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have received GCSE, BTec Tech Awards and other Level 2 results.
The GCSE pass rate is expected to be broadly similar to 2024, after years of flux during the Covid pandemic. The GCSE pass rate has fallen slightly compared with 2024, with 67.4% of all grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at 4 or C and above.
Last year, it fell for a third year running. This year, it fell for a fourth year running, after grades were elevated during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and is only slightly higher than it was in 2019.
Students have also been warned they could face more competition for places at sixth form colleges this year. Jill Duffy, the head of the OCR exam board, said there was a "resit crisis" this year after nearly a quarter of maths and English GCSEs were taken by people aged 17 and older this year - most of whom would have been resitting.
Bill Watkin, head of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said there were more 16-year-olds in the population and sixth form colleges had grown in popularity. They made up 23.4% of Maths and English grades – compared to 20.9% last year.
He said some had managed to increase capacity and would have spare places, but added that others were "almost certainly going to have to turn some young people away because they are oversubscribed". In England, pupils who don't get at least a grade 4 in GCSE English and maths are required to continue studying for it alongside their next course - whether that's A-levels, a T-level, or something else.
Results have now been released to students - follow live Results vary between nations, and England was the only nation to have seen a fall this year. The pass rate has gone up in Wales and Northern Ireland.
This year the proportion of GCSEs marked at 4/C and above is:
67.1% in England, down from 67.4% in 2024
62.5% in Wales, up from 62.2%
83.5% in Northern Ireland, up from 82.7%
The gap between boys' and girls' pass rates across all three nations has also narrowed to its lowest on record.
Girls continue to outperform boys – but their grades have dropped, while boys' results have risen very slightly.
It means there's a difference of 6.1 percentage points this year – down from 6.7 last year.
Your full guide to GCSE results day, including how to appeal gradesYour full guide to GCSE results day, including how to appeal grades
The 9-1 GCSE grade boundaries explainedThe 9-1 GCSE grade boundaries explained
What is a BTec and how are they marked?What is a BTec and how are they marked?
What is a T-level and what are the grades worth?What is a T-level and what are the grades worth?
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said competition to get into top sixth forms "will be fiercer than ever", adding that fears over VAT being added to private school fees may drive more families to seek out places in the state sector. Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, had said competition to get into top sixth forms would be "fiercer than ever", adding that fears over VAT being added to private school fees may drive more families to seek out places in the state sector.
Bill Watkin, head of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said some colleges had managed to increase capacity and would have spare places, but added that others were "almost certainly going to have to turn some young people away because they are oversubscribed".
But Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, said there was a "wide range" of other options for teenagers, such as school sixth forms and further education colleges.But Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, said there was a "wide range" of other options for teenagers, such as school sixth forms and further education colleges.
About 170,000 students are due to get results for BTec Tech Awards, BTec Firsts and BTec Level 2 Technical courses, while about 110,000 will receive results for Cambridge Nationals. About 170,000 students received results for BTec Tech Awards, BTec Firsts and BTec Level 2 Technical courses, plus about 110,000 received results for Cambridge Nationals.
The pass rate for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams in Scotland rose across the board this month. The pass rate for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams in Scotland rose across the board earlier this month.
Top A-level results rose again last week – with 28.3% of all grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland marked at A* or A.Top A-level results rose again last week – with 28.3% of all grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland marked at A* or A.
Most pupils getting results this week were in Year 6 when the first Covid lockdown was announced in March 2020, and started secondary school learning in "bubbles".Most pupils getting results this week were in Year 6 when the first Covid lockdown was announced in March 2020, and started secondary school learning in "bubbles".
Jiya, a pupil at St Augustine's Catholic Academy in Scarborough, wants to become a dentist - and hopes she'll get the grades she needs to start A-levels at Scarborough College next month. Jiya, a pupil at St Augustine's Catholic Academy in Scarborough, wants to become a dentist - and hoped to get the grades to start A-levels at Scarborough College next month.
But she said it was bittersweet to be leaving the friends that she met during the Covid pandemic.But she said it was bittersweet to be leaving the friends that she met during the Covid pandemic.
"I think when I first came in Year 7 I was probably really nervous," she said."I think when I first came in Year 7 I was probably really nervous," she said.
"I have found my people, my friends, and they have helped me become more confident.""I have found my people, my friends, and they have helped me become more confident."
Jiya says she hopes her grades will be enough to make her next step towards a career in dentistryJiya says she hopes her grades will be enough to make her next step towards a career in dentistry
Education Bridget Phillipson said the teenagers who moved from primary to secondary school at the height of the pandemic showed "remarkable resilience despite the disruption to those crucial years of education".Education Bridget Phillipson said the teenagers who moved from primary to secondary school at the height of the pandemic showed "remarkable resilience despite the disruption to those crucial years of education".
She added that Level 2 results would also "expose the inequalities that are entrenched in our education system".She added that Level 2 results would also "expose the inequalities that are entrenched in our education system".
Last year, 67.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 4/C or above.Last year, 67.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 4/C or above.
Regional divides grew in England, with the difference between pass rates in the highest- and lowest-performing regions widening.Regional divides grew in England, with the difference between pass rates in the highest- and lowest-performing regions widening.
This is the second year that grading has returned to pre-pandemic standards across all three nations.This is the second year that grading has returned to pre-pandemic standards across all three nations.
The proportion of GCSE passes rose in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers' assessments.The proportion of GCSE passes rose in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers' assessments.
That was followed by a phased effort to bring them back down to 2019 levels.That was followed by a phased effort to bring them back down to 2019 levels.
The return of grading to 2019 standards for a second year running means there will be less emphasis on how grades compare to standards before Covid, and more on how they compare to last year.The return of grading to 2019 standards for a second year running means there will be less emphasis on how grades compare to standards before Covid, and more on how they compare to last year.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson criticised the country's education system ahead of GCSE results day, writing in the Telegraph: "While this country is a good place to go to school, good isn't good enough.
"The images on television and the headline statistics we'll see this week mask the reality of a system that works for some children – even most children – but continues to let down tens of thousands more."
Phillipson highlighted that "in 2024 only 19 per cent of white British, working class children achieved a strong pass in maths and English GCSE" and said the statistic looks almost identical to 2017.
"It's appalling," Phillipson wrote, adding "it's not just the life chances of those children that are being damaged - it's also the health of our society as a whole."
In England, pupils who don't get at least a grade 4 in GCSE English and maths are required to continue studying for it alongside their next course, whether it's A-levels, a T-level, or something else.
The Department for Education (DfE) says pupils should retake the exam when they - and their school or college - think they are ready.The Department for Education (DfE) says pupils should retake the exam when they - and their school or college - think they are ready.
GCSE English and maths resits take place in November and May or June.GCSE English and maths resits take place in November and May or June.
How to handle results day stress when you're neurodivergentHow to handle results day stress when you're neurodivergent
Do gifts and cash rewards help to boost exam grades?Do gifts and cash rewards help to boost exam grades?
What is an apprenticeship and how well are they paid?What is an apprenticeship and how well are they paid?
Most pupils go into their school or college to collect their results, but this year tens of thousands will be sent their results in an app. Most pupils go into their school or college to collect their results, but this year tens of thousands were also sent their results in an app.
The DfE is trialling the Education Record app with 95,000 students in Manchester and the West Midlands, ahead of a national rollout. The DfE has been trialling the Education Record app with 95,000 students in Manchester and the West Midlands, ahead of a national rollout.
Ministers said they hoped it would save money for college admissions teams, while school leaders said students and schools would need "seamless support" to ensure the app works properly.Ministers said they hoped it would save money for college admissions teams, while school leaders said students and schools would need "seamless support" to ensure the app works properly.
Students involved in the pilot will still be able to go to school to get their paper results.
Additional reporting by Hayley Clarke and Emily DoughtyAdditional reporting by Hayley Clarke and Emily Doughty