GCSE students in Northern Ireland set to receive exam results

Students in Northern Ireland are set to receive their GCSE grades on Thursday.

The number of top grades fell in 2021/22 as public exams returned, but results were still higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Exam regulators said they expect a similar trend this year.

Grading in Northern Ireland and Wales is different to the system in England.

In Northern Ireland, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) uses a nine-category grade scale A* - G - which includes a C*.

In Wales, the traditional eight-category grade scale A*- G has been retained.

In Northern Ireland and Wales, exam regulators have said they do not expect to return to pre-pandemic grading levels until next year.

Meanwhile in England, the exams regulator has said this year's GCSE results will be lower than last year, but they are expected to be similar to 2019 as part of its plan to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer.

It comes after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

In Wales, results are expected to be "broadly midway" between those awarded in 2022 - the first year students sat exams following the pandemic - and 2019.

Many GCSE students in Wales and Northern Ireland were given advance information about topics to expect in their exam papers this summer, but pupils in England were not given the same support.

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