Over half a million pupils are celebrating their GCSE results today (Thursday 12 August), with overall grades slightly up on last year.
Results show 79.1% of entries received a grade 4 or above – equivalent to a pass – increasing 0.3 percentage points (ppt) on last year. Similarly, 80.9% of pupils achieved 4 or above in English and 77.9 in maths, increasing by 0.7 and 0.8 ppt respectively, enabling them to move on to the next stage of education or training despite the disruption of the pandemic.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
Young people have worked hard despite the challenges of the last year and they should feel incredibly proud of their achievements today.
“Every young person can now look forward with excitement to taking their next steps, whether that is studying A levels or our new T Levels or taking one of the many other routes available, like an apprenticeship.
I also want to pay a special tribute to teachers and school leaders, who have gone above and beyond to support their students this year.
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