22 August 2026
Headline data for GCSE results day in England
GCSE results were published on 20th August with some key data points staying the same and others showing wider change.
In terms of results levels, the proportion achieving grades 7-9 increased slightly from 23% to 23.1% this year, up from the pre-pandemic level of 21.8% in 2019. Grade 9 achievement remained at 5.2%.
Grade 4 and above ‘pass’ marks increased from 70.5% to 70.7%, while the ‘strong pass’ of grade 5 or above went up from 55% to 55.5%.
This ear saw the first use of the National Reference Tests (NRT) to sample ability and track whether underlying student capability is improving. Based on this sampling, exam boards were told to reflect higher achievement in maths in the GCSE results, leading to a rise in pass rates and higher grades in maths.
Young women remain more likely to achieve top grades, at 25.5%, though the gap with young men has narrowed from 5 percentage points to 4.8.
London remains the English region with the highest top grade rate (28.6%) and improved by 0.2 percentage points. The North East remains lowest at 17.7% and fell 0.1 percentage point. The South West decreased the most (-0.4 percentage points) while Yorkshire and the Humber improved most (by 0.6 percentage points).
In terms of school setting, grammar schools remained top, with 63.2% of pupils gaining the top grades. Secondary schools remain far below with only 16.8% achieving the top grades. Independent and private schools dropped the most on the year – by 0.6 percentage points – though remain second after grammars.
GCSE resits saw a jump in entry numbers, from 206,732 learners aged 17 or over to 219,135. However, those achieving the pass mark of 4 or more in maths declined from 21.2% in 2019 and 17.1% last year, to 15.3%. In English the pass rate has fallen from 30.3% in 2019 to 20.9% last year and 19.8% this year. This reflects the comments made by Education Secretary Lucy Powell about ‘setting kids up for a cycle of failure’.
Read more about GCSE results.
In terms of results levels, the proportion achieving grades 7-9 increased slightly from 23% to 23.1% this year, up from the pre-pandemic level of 21.8% in 2019. Grade 9 achievement remained at 5.2%.
Grade 4 and above ‘pass’ marks increased from 70.5% to 70.7%, while the ‘strong pass’ of grade 5 or above went up from 55% to 55.5%.
This ear saw the first use of the National Reference Tests (NRT) to sample ability and track whether underlying student capability is improving. Based on this sampling, exam boards were told to reflect higher achievement in maths in the GCSE results, leading to a rise in pass rates and higher grades in maths.
Young women remain more likely to achieve top grades, at 25.5%, though the gap with young men has narrowed from 5 percentage points to 4.8.
London remains the English region with the highest top grade rate (28.6%) and improved by 0.2 percentage points. The North East remains lowest at 17.7% and fell 0.1 percentage point. The South West decreased the most (-0.4 percentage points) while Yorkshire and the Humber improved most (by 0.6 percentage points).
In terms of school setting, grammar schools remained top, with 63.2% of pupils gaining the top grades. Secondary schools remain far below with only 16.8% achieving the top grades. Independent and private schools dropped the most on the year – by 0.6 percentage points – though remain second after grammars.
GCSE resits saw a jump in entry numbers, from 206,732 learners aged 17 or over to 219,135. However, those achieving the pass mark of 4 or more in maths declined from 21.2% in 2019 and 17.1% last year, to 15.3%. In English the pass rate has fallen from 30.3% in 2019 to 20.9% last year and 19.8% this year. This reflects the comments made by Education Secretary Lucy Powell about ‘setting kids up for a cycle of failure’.
Read more about GCSE results.
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