Thousands of teenagers across the country are collecting their GCSE results this morning after sitting exams earlier in the summer. For the first time, many will access their results online via the Education Record app, which has been fully rolled out following a successful trial in Manchester in 2025. Results will update on the app at 11am, with schools using the app needing to provide a QR code to students to link to their record.
The Department of Education has encouraged students to go in person to collect their results so they can speak to teachers and staff about next steps if their results are not as good as hoped.
Grade Boundaries and New Qualifications
GCSE grade boundaries will be confirmed today by exam boards including AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, CCEA and WJEC. The boundaries, which have followed a numerical 9 to 1 system since 2017, are not fixed from year to year as exam boards set them once marking is almost complete.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said today was a “big day” for those due to get their GCSE results and marked a “really important moment in a child’s progression”. Speaking to Sky News, Powell said: “This is a big day for tens of thousands of young people right across the country, including my own daughter, who’s about to get her GCSE results in a couple of hours as well.”
Powell has insisted that plans to bring in a “stepping stone” qualification for those who have not passed maths or English GCSE were “not about lowering standards”. She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “That’s why we’re going to be looking at that, and I’m going to be bringing in a new stepping stone qualification, as we’re calling it, a level one… in maths and in English, so that there is an additional qualification that young people can work towards.”
Reactions and Advice
Students in Cardiff have started to receive their results, with many weeping with joy as years of hard work pay off. Prime Minister Andy Burnham congratulated students on X, writing: “Congratulations to everyone getting their GCSE results today, you should be proud of the work that got you here. Whatever your results, remember there isn’t just one route to success.”
Last year saw the GCSE pass rate dip slightly, dropping from 67.6% in 2024 to 67.4% across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the gap between boys' and girls' pass rates dropped to its lowest on record, down to 6.1%, and the percentage of top grades marked 7/A or above rose from 21.8% to 21.9%.
Resits and Next Steps
Maths and English GCSE resit exams are held in November for both AQA and Pearson Edexcel. Students aged 16 to 19 without a grade 4 or above in either English or maths will continue studying GCSE level English and maths. Some colleges and schools offer a functional skills qualification in English or maths instead of a GCSE, which is a level 2 qualification focused on applying English or maths in real life.
GCSE results can be released to students by schools from 8am on Thursday, with results updating online on the Education Record app at 11am.
