The proportion of GCSE entries in England awarded grades 7 or above has risen to 23%, up from 22.6% last year, according to results published on Thursday. This marks a recovery for a cohort feared to be among the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, despite disruptions including the cancellation of key stage 2 tests in 2020.
In Northern Ireland, the proportion of A and A* grades rose by one percentage point to 31.4%, while in Wales, top grades increased to 20.1% from 19.8% in 2024. However, in England, compulsory subjects saw slight declines: the percentage of 16-year-olds achieving at least a grade 4 in English fell from 71.2% to 70.6%, and in maths from 72% to 71.9%.
The gender gap in favour of girls narrowed to its smallest since records began in 2016, with boys improving in major subjects while girls slipped in traditionally strong areas like English. Jill Duffy, chair of the Joint Council for Qualifications, noted that the gap at grade 7 and above has shrunk by 1.5 percentage points since 2019, though boys still trail by five points.
Regional inequalities persist, with London four percentage points ahead of other regions at grade 7, but the north-east showed the biggest improvement at grade 4 compared with pre-pandemic 2019. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was “absolutely determined” to reduce attainment gaps between regions.
