National data indicated a slight decline in the proportion of pupils receiving top grades compared to 2023, though levels remained above those seen before the pandemic.
According to figures released by the Joint Council for Qualifications, 21.8% of UK GCSE entries were awarded a grade 7 or higher this year, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the previous year. However, this percentage was still above the 2019 figure, when 20.8% of students achieved the highest grades before the pandemic disrupted schooling.
In England, exams regulator Ofqual anticipated that this year’s national results would be “broadly similar” to last summer’s, when grades were aligned with pre-pandemic standards.
The rise in top grades during 2020 and 2021 was attributed to results being based on teacher assessments due to the absence of formal exams caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several Suffolk schools reported outstanding results, commending students and staff for their dedication. The Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, near Ipswich, announced that its Year 11 cohort had achieved the best GCSE results in the school’s history, with over half of the exams taken (50.4%) receiving grades 9 to 7, and 97.1% of grades falling between 9 and 4.
At Sybil Andrews Academy in Bury St Edmunds, students were commended for achieving the school’s “best ever set of results in non-Covid times.” The percentage of students attaining grade 5 in English and maths rose by 10% to 50%, while the proportion achieving grade 4 in these subjects increased by 9% to 71%.
Nick Gregory, the new head of Ipswich School, expressed his delight with this year’s GCSE results, describing them as the school’s “best-ever GCSE exam results.” This follows record-breaking A-Level results achieved the previous week.
However, Ofqual figures revealed that the attainment gap between private and state schools in England has widened at the top grades. Nearly half (48.4%) of private school entries received a grade 7 or higher, compared to 19.4% at comprehensive schools. This 29 percentage point gap marks an increase from last year’s 28.2 percentage points but remains slightly narrower than the 29.3 percentage point gap seen in 2019.