Top grades for GCSEs are down on last year but remain higher than pre-pandemic levels as students across the UK receive their results today.
Last year, the proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades surged to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19 and pupils were given results determined by their teachers.
Similar to the pattern with A-level results, published last week, it had been expected that grades would drop below last year, but remain above those from 2019 as students returned to sitting exams for the first time in three years.
Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) - covering GCSE entries from students predominantly in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - showed top grades of 7/A have fallen from 28.9 per cent in 2021 to 26.3 per cent this year, a drop of 2.6 percentage points.
But this remains higher than the equivalent figure for 2019 of 20.8 per cent.
