The proportion of top grades at GCSE has dropped from record highs during the pandemic after a return to examinations for the first time in three years.
Results awarded in England, Wales and Northern Ireland revealed that GCSEs marked Grade 7 or above – equivalent to the former A and A* – were down by 2.6 percentage points on last year’s record results.
The level was lower than the 28.9 per cent of students who achieved top grades in 2021, when results were based on teacher assessments while exams were halted during the pandemic, but higher than the 20.6 per cent who achieved top marks in 2019.
The proportion of students who attained standard passes in their GCSEs also dropped this year, with 73.2 per cent of pupils achieving Grade 4 or above – equivalent to the former C – compared to 77.1 per cent last year.
