Pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are getting their GCSE results today – and tens of thousands of them can do so via an app for the first time.
More than 95,000 youngsters in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will be able to find out how they did via “Education Record” on their smartphone.
The government is trialling the app ahead of a national rollout. It’s hoped that by bringing together exam results and other education records, like certificates, into one place, it’ll help pupils when they’re applying for university, apprenticeships, and jobs.
Results will be available on the app from 11am, though students can also get them earlier from their school in the normal way from 8am.
This year’s results day is also significant as most pupils who took their GCSEs this summer were in Year 6 when schools were closed during lockdown, disrupting their transition to secondary school.
Exam aids have been provided to maths, physics, and combined science pupils since 2022 to limit the impact the pandemic had on learning, and will remain in place through to 2027.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this year’s cohort had shown “remarkable resilience”, but said today’s results would still “expose the inequalities entrenched in our education system”.
She said she was determined to “break the link between background and success once and for all”.
More than a fifth (21.8%) of GCSE entries were awarded the top grades last year, slightly down from 22% in 2023.
In 2019, the final year before the pandemic, it stood at 20.8%.
What’s the grading system?
In England, GCSEs are graded using a numerical system from 9 (the highest mark) to 1.
Seven and above is roughly equivalent to an A and above.
The numerical system has been in place for all subjects since 2020.
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Northern Ireland uses a nine-category grade scale of A* to G (including C*), while Wales has retained the traditional eight-point grade scale of A* to G.
Youngsters who studied BTECs and other level 2 qualification are also getting their results today.
