GCSE results day: Pupils receiving highest grades fall but remains above pre-Covid levels

ITV News political correspondent Harry Horton walks through some of the key findings to emerge from this year's GCSE results day

The number of pupils who received the highest grades in their GCSE results remained above pre-pandemic levels this year, despite falling slightly compared with 2023.

Hundreds of thousands of school students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland woke up on Thursday to find out whether they received the grades needed to help them progress on to sixth form, college or training.

Figures for 2024 from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) showed that 21.8% of UK GCSE entries were awarded grade 7/A or above, down slightly from 22.0% in 2023, but above the 20.8% in 2019.

Across the regions in England, the gap between London and northeast England narrowed marginally year-on-year.

A total of 28.5% of entries achieved grades 7/A or above in London, while in northeast England 17.8% of entries scored 7/A or above - giving a gap of 10.7 percentage points. In 2023, it was 10.8 percentage points.

Some 67.6% of UK entries received a grade 4/C or above - considered a "standard pass" - down from 68.2% last year, but higher than 67.3% in 2019.

While traditional A*-G grades are used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest.

A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A.

'I'm really happy!' - Students at a school in London react to finding out their GCSE results

Other key takeaways from this year's GCSE results day showed the overall rate for grades 1/G or above had fallen to its lowest level for nearly two decades.

Some 97.9% of grades scored a 1/G or above in 2024 compared with 98.0% last year. In 2005, the rate was measured at 97.8%.

Elsewhere, the lead enjoyed by girls over boys for the top grades narrowed slightly this year.

The proportion of total female entries awarded grade 7/A or above was 24.7%, 5.7 percentage points higher than total male entries (19.0%) - representing the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since 2009.

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Science double award was ranked as the most popular subject in terms of entries this year (980,786 entries), with Maths and English Language coming in at second and third place respectively.

Separate figures published by exams regulator Ofqual showed the attainment gap in GCSE results between private and state schools in England has widened at the top grades this year.

Nearly half (48.4%) of private school entries scored a grade 7 and above in 2024 compared to 19.4% of those at comprehensive schools - a gap of 29 percentage points. Last year this gap was 28.2 percentage points.

Ahead of results day, leaders in the education sector had suggested that teenagers could face more competition for sixth form and college places this year due a rising number of 16-year-olds in the population.

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The chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) warned capacity issues in some areas of the country, amid rising demand, could mean colleges will not have space to take on students.

Many of the pupils who received their GCSE results today were in Year 7 when schools closed due to the pandemic. The cohort faced disruption to their schooling in the first years of their secondary education.

Minister for School Standards Catherine McKinnell told broadcasters it is "really important" that students from every part of the country have the opportunity to decide the next steps in their lives.

She said: "They [GCSE's] really are an important stepping stone to what comes next and I think it's really important that young people have that opportunity to look at what comes next whether that's work, whether that's vocational qualifications, or moving on to A levels and potentially university.

"I think it's really important that we make sure that every child has those opportunities, and we know that's not always the case, depending on where you live in the country [or] what kind of school you've gone to."

'We want to make sure that every opportunity is for every child no matter what their background or where they come from,' Minister for School Standards Catherine McKinnell told broadcasters

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said pupils had "shown remarkable resilience" in the face of disruption brought about by the Covid pandemic.

She added: "We know this week's results are likely to show the same unacceptable, entrenched regional disparities we have seen time and time again.

"That is why we are committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity - including by delivering a broader, richer curriculum - and ensuring that young people in all corners of our country can reach their potential."

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