GCSE results live: Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to discover grades

Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland await grades

Good morning and welcome to our GCSE results day blog.

Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are nervously awaiting their grades today.

Last year, the aftermath of the Covid pandemic was squeezed out of results as 16-year-olds received grades more similar to pre-pandemic levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Overall, the top grade 9 was awarded to 5.1% of the more than 5m courses taken by 16-year-olds in England, a fraction better than in 2023.

The proportion of A*s and As awarded to 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland dropped from 35.1% to 31%, and Cs or above from 87% to 82.4%.

In Wales, the top A* and A grades for 16-year-olds dipped from 22% in 2023 to 19.4%, and the proportion of Cs from 65.6% to 63.2%, which was lower than in 2019.

This year’s GCSEs are for pupils who possibly got the rough end of the Covid stick: their final year at primary school and first year of secondary (key transition point) disrupted, Sats cancelled, mental health and special needs increased, etc.

Stay with us as we look at whether the overall 9-4 pass rates are affected in English and maths, as well as if girls’ overall results dip again (previous research suggests girls came out of Covid-era school closures worse off), and any unusually bumpy results in individual subjects, and resits.

Updated at 08.32 CEST

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Nearly 100,000 year 11 pupils will receive their GCSE results through a government app this year.

Pupils in the Greater Manchester and the West Midlands combined authority areas will be the first to trial the app, called Education Record, which automatically collates their key information and exam results.

Alongside receiving their GCSE results through the app today, pupils can enrol for a college course or an apprenticeship with an employer without needing to bring physical copies of their qualifications or ID.

Using the app, pupils can share their information with a sixth form, college or training provider. This will then automatically share their unique learner number, date of birth, sex, address, GCSE results, school information, financial and learning support needs.

According to the Department For Education the digital record app could collectively save schools and colleges up to £30 million per year in admin costs if fully rolled out.

Today’s results are likely to “expose entrenched inequalities in our education system,” Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary warns.

She said:

Huge congratulations to everyone receiving their results today – you should be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved. To the brilliant teachers, school and college staff, and parents who have been there every step of the way, thank you for your unwavering support.

These young people moved from primary to secondary school right in the midst of the pandemic, showing remarkable resilience despite the disruption to those crucial years of education. Their options now are better than ever, whether it’s A levels, T Levels, or an apprenticeship.

While it’s a moment to celebrate, today’s results will expose the inequalities that are entrenched in our education system. Too many young people continue to have their life chances defined by their background and where they live, and while we are beginning to see promising signs in critical areas like attendance and teacher recruitment, I am absolutely determined to deliver on our Plan for Change and truly break the link between background and success once and for all.”