Hundreds of thousands of teenagers have received their GCSE results with a slight drop in the proportion of top grades awarded from last year.

The approach to grading in England returned to pre-pandemic levels last year and this year exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland have also made the transition.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said the results are the biggest ever across the three nations with more than 6.5 million issued across GCSEs as well as Level 1 and 2 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs).

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The GCSE results are similar to last year, with more than a fifth of entries, or 21.8%, awarded the top grades – at least a 7 or A grade – slightly down on the 22% in 2023, but higher than the 20.8% in 2019 before the pandemic.

Some 67.6% of grades were awarded at 4 or C and above, which is considered the standard pass grade, compared with 68.2% in 2023 and 67.3% in 2019.

The overall rate for grades 1 or G or above is 97.9%, down from 98% in 2023 and 98.3% in 2019.

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While traditional A* to 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.

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on X: “Congratulations to those receiving their GCSE results today – you’ve done an incredible job.

“I know the power of education and opportunity. My government will make sure everyone’s path is determined by their talent, skills and ambition, not where you come from.”

Education disruption due to COVID-19 led to an increase in top GCSE and A-level grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

Last week, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades rose on last year and surpassed pre-pandemic highs.

Many of the pupils who are receiving their GCSE results were in Year 7 when schools closed due to the pandemic.

Leaders in the education sector have warned that the cohort has had to overcome a series of challenges in their secondary schooling in recent years.

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GCSE entries increased by 4.8% to more than 6.1 million, resulting in just over 50,000 more top grades being awarded than last year.

Results remain higher for girls than boys, but the gap narrowed slightly, while the top ten most popular subjects remain the same as last year, with science double award staying top with a total of 980,786 entries.

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