GCSE results day: More pupils get top grades as gap between boys and girls shrinks

Top grades edge up as GCSE results return to pre-pandemic pattern

Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland collected their GCSE and technical qualification results this morning, with national data showing a marginal increase in top grades even as overall pass rates settle back to levels last seen before the pandemic.

Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) reveal that 22 per cent of UK entries were awarded at least a grade 7 or an A this year – up 0.1 percentage points on 2025, when 21.9 per cent achieved the top grades. That remains above the 20.8 per cent recorded in 2019, the final year before Covid-19 disrupted schooling.

The proportion of entries achieving at least a grade 4 or C – the benchmark commonly described as a "standard pass" – has slipped from 67.4 per cent in 2025 to 67.3 per cent this year, a drop of 0.1 percentage points and identical to the 2019 figure. The data, released on Thursday morning, covers GCSE entries from students across the three nations.

This year's cohort were in Year 5 when schools closed at the height of the pandemic, meaning their secondary education was largely unaffected by the most disruptive period of Covid-19. For the first time, all Year 11 students in England were able to view their results digitally through a dedicated app, following a pilot scheme last year.

Gender gap narrows to smallest margin this century

Perhaps the most striking finding in this year's data is the continued convergence between boys and girls. Nearly a quarter of girls' GCSE entries – 24.4 per cent – were awarded at least a grade 7 or A, compared with 19.6 per cent of boys' entries. That represents a 4.8 percentage point gap, down from 5.1 points in 2025.

The pattern repeats at the standard pass threshold: 70.2 per cent of girls' entries achieved at least a grade 4 or C, against 64.4 per cent for boys – a 5.8 percentage point gap, narrowing from 6.2 points last year. According to JCQ, these are the narrowest leads enjoyed by girls since at least 2000, the earliest year for which archived data is available.

Education experts had raised concerns about the persistent disparity ahead of results day. Martha Lucas, research officer at the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CPRMB), said the gap begins to emerge when children are as young as five, with girls "consistently outperforming boys in education".

"When around a third of boys' entries to GCSE are consistently not meeting a grade four each year, which is the standard pass level, it is a massive concern," Ms Lucas said. "For a lot of employment, meeting that grade four in maths and English is a barrier to finding that employment. This year, the number of male Neets (not in education, employment or training) hit more than 500,000. So, boys are consistently leaving school without the qualifications nor education necessary for them to thrive in adult life – get a job, be in employment – and quite frankly that desperately needs to change."

Regional divide hits record high

While the gender gap narrows, the geographical divide in educational outcomes has reached its widest point on record. The gap in top grades between London – the best-performing region – and the North East – the worst-performing – has grown to 10.9 percentage points, up from 10.6 in 2025.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, did not mince words. "It is a damning indictment of 21st-century Britain that where you happen to grow up has such a profound impact on your educational and life chances," he said. "Something is fundamentally amiss when children with the same talents and potential face such different prospects simply because of where they live."

The widening regional disparity will be of particular concern to Westminster and the devolved administrations, given the Government's stated commitment to "levelling up" opportunity across the country. With the gap now at a record high, the data suggests that whatever progress has been made on gender equality in education has not been matched by progress on geographic equality.

Resit surge and the case for a "stepping stone" qualification

A significant development in this year's results is the sharp increase in post-16 candidates sitting English and maths GCSEs, driven largely by pupils in England required to resit after failing to secure at least a grade 4. The proportion of post-16 UK entries for English rose by 6.5 per cent on last year, while the rate of achieving a decent pass fell by 1.4 percentage points. For maths, entries increased by 5.8 per cent, but the rate of achieving a grade 4 was down 1.7 percentage points on 2025.

The deteriorating outcomes for this group have reignited debate about the resit policy, which requires students who do not secure at least a grade 4 in English and/or maths to retake the subjects during post-16 education. Education Secretary Lucy Powell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that repeated resits risk "branding (students) as a failure" and damaging self-confidence.

"That's why we're going to be looking at that, and I'm going to be bringing in a new stepping stone qualification, as we're calling it, a level one… in maths and in English, so that there is an additional qualification that young people can work towards," Ms Powell said. "I want to work with employers to make sure that that qualification is credible, is respected, and that employers see that as sufficient or more than sufficient for young people to go on to do things like an apprenticeship in construction or health and social care."

The proposal marks a notable shift in education policy, acknowledging that the current binary pass/fail structure may not serve all students well. Whether the "stepping stone" qualification will be embraced by employers – a crucial test of its credibility – remains to be seen. The Government will need to convince businesses that a level one qualification carries genuine weight in the labour market, particularly in sectors such as construction and social care where practical skills matter as much as academic credentials.

What the data means for the year ahead

The overall picture this year is one of stabilisation. Pass rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, top grades remain slightly elevated, and the gender gap continues to close. But beneath those headline figures lie persistent structural concerns: the record regional divide, the struggles of post-16 resit candidates, and the more than half a million young men classified as Neets.

For the pupils collecting their results this morning, the immediate focus will be on next steps – sixth form, college, apprenticeships or employment. For policymakers, the data offers a more uncomfortable read. The narrowing gender gap suggests that efforts to support boys' attainment may be having some effect, though the CPRMB's Ms Lucas argues that far more needs to be done. The widening regional gap, meanwhile, suggests that the Government's levelling-up agenda has yet to translate into measurable improvements in educational outcomes in the North East and other underperforming regions.

Professor Elliot Major's warning that "something is fundamentally amiss" will resonate beyond the education sector. In a country where a child's postcode remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success, today's results are a reminder that the GCSE system – for all its annual ritual of celebration and commiseration – continues to reflect and reproduce deeper inequalities in British society.

The coming months will show whether the proposed stepping stone qualification gains traction with employers and whether any further measures emerge to address the regional divide. For now, the class of 2026 can take some comfort from the fact that their results, in aggregate, are broadly in line with – and in the case of top grades, slightly above – those of their pre-pandemic predecessors.

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: JCQ, BBC Radio 4, The Independent.

By Erica Thornton, Staff Writer