Almost one in four boys in England received top grades in maths while results in English improved across the board, helping to propel improved GCSE results for this year’s cohort of ۱۶-year-olds.
The stronger performances in maths helped pupils taking GCSEs in year ۱۱ reach a record level for higher grades in England outside the Covid pandemic years, when exams were replaced by teacher assessments.
The overall results for ۱۶-year-olds nudged slightly higher compared with last year, with the proportion receiving grades ۷, ۸ and ۹ – equivalent to grades A and A* – rising by ۰.۱ of a percentage point to ۲۳.۱%. The proportion of nearly ۷۰۰,۰۰۰ ۱۶-year-olds in England who got a grade ۴ or better – equivalent to a C or higher – also rose to ۷۰.۷%, compared with ۷۰.۵% in ۲۰۲۵.
Some of the strongest performances appeared to come in the compulsory subject of maths, where ۲۲.۳% received ۷s or better, including ۲۴% of boys and ۲۰.۵% of girls. But girls did worse than last year in lower grades, dropping from ۷۱% awarded ۴ and above to ۷۰.۷%, while boys improved further to ۷۲.۸%.
Richard Harry, the executive director of qualifications and assessment at the Welsh exam board WJEC, said the maths results for ۱۶-year-old boys in England “may be the highest in recent years”.
Coming after last week’s A-levels also showed stronger results in maths, Harry said it was difficult to know what was driving the improvement: “Since coming out of the pandemic we’ve been maintaining the standard in maths at both GCSE and in A-level and I think we’re confident that the outcomes we’re seeing this year reflect the level of attainment that learners have achieved.”
Girls continue to outperform boys at GCSE, but the gap is closing and is now ۲.۹ percentage points lower than it was in ۲۰۱۹. Harry urged caution, however. “The gap is only very slightly narrower this year – it’s a very small change. I think it would be difficult to speculate too much around the differences for such small changes.”
In English, the other compulsory subject, results bounced back after dipping last year, with ۶۶.۱% of boys getting ۴s and above while girls improved to ۷۶.۸%.
Many of the pupils receiving GCSE results this summer were in year ۵ when schools were largely closed due to Covid-۱۹ restrictions, disrupting their final years of primary schooling.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It should be remembered that these young people experienced significant disruption earlier in their education … That so many have done so well in their GCSEs and other level ۲ qualifications is an example of triumph over adversity both for them and for their schools.
“However, a significant proportion of students continue to fall short of a grade ۴ GCSE pass in English and maths both at the age of ۱۶ and in subsequent resits in post-۱۶ education where most face the miserable experience of falling short once again.
“This limits their education and career options and is very likely to be a factor in the large number of young people who end up not in employment, education or training (Neet).”
The results came as more than a million candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their grades on Thursday morning. Scotland published its equivalent results earlier this month.
Twenty-two per cent of UK entries were awarded the top grades of ۷ or A and above this year, up by ۰.۱ percentage points on last year. That was higher than in ۲۰۱۹, the last year before the pandemic, when ۲۰.۸% of entries achieved the top grades.
Myles McGinley, managing director of the Cambridge OCR examination board, noted that alongside maths many more pupils were taking business studies, with the number of entries rising by a third in five years.
“This looks like an increasingly entrepreneurial generation, fascinated by how business works. The founders of some of the next great unicorn businesses may well be among those achieving GCSEs in business studies today,” McGinley said.
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One of the key areas of concern after the results will be the high failure rates for those students in England forced to resit English and maths GCSE after previously failing to secure a pass at the age of ۱۶.
It is a longstanding problem and the government has already proposed the introduction of a “stepping stone” qualification to help better prepare students who are struggling, but frustrated school leaders said more fundamental change was needed.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “We have long called for an end to the current policy which forces students into dispiriting rounds of repeated, demotivating resits. The curriculum review focus was on ensuring students are better prepared for resits and introducing a stepping-stone qualification.
“Today’s data shows why more fundamental changes to this policy are needed, with only ۱۸.۸% of students aged ۱۷ and over achieving a grade ۴ in English, and ۱۳.۶% of students achieving a grade ۴ in maths – both down on last year, when these figures were ۱۹.۷% and ۱۵.۳% respectively.
“What is needed are more appropriate and engaging alternatives to GCSEs in English and maths at key stage ۴ which enable students to study for qualifications that better suit their needs and aspirations.”
Concern will also focus on persistent regional differences. London was once again the highest performing area with ۲۸.۶% of grades ۷ and above, up ۰.۲ percentage points from last year. In the north-east, the lowest performing region, ۱۷.۷% of grades awarded were ۷ and above, down ۰.۱ percentage points from last year.
Carl Cullinane, the director of research and policy at the Sutton Trust education charity, said there had been “no progress” in addressing regional imbalances in GCSE performance, with the gap between London and the rest of the country continuing to grow.
The Sutton Trust also pointed out that the gap between state comprehensives and private school pupils getting the top grades may have narrowed slightly by ۰.۹ percentage points, but it remained big, at ۲۷ percentage points.
