GCSE results day live: gap between London and north-east of England narrows for first time decade | GCSEs

SHAPE subjects (social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy) made up more than half (54%) of GCSE students’ subjects in 2024, according to the British Academy.

Data on GCSE entries across England, Wales and Northern Ireland released today by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and analysed by the British Academy show that there has been an increase in entries to SHAPE subjects of around 4.8% from 2023 to 2024, and around 10.7% from 2019 to 2024.

Some SHAPE subjects have become more popular with students who sat their GCSEs this year. Today’s JCQ data on GCSE results in 2024 also shows that:

• Across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, the highest growing SHAPE subject at GCSE this year was business studies, with around a 9.7% increase from 2023 to 2024, in line with a longer-term increase of 41% between 2019 to 2024.

• The second highest growing SHAPE subject was music, with an 8.7% increase between 2023 to 2024. However, this recovery followed a 12.5% decrease between 2022 to 2023, and long-term trends show a 6.9% decrease between 2019 to 2024.

• Other higher growing SHAPE subjects between 2023 to 2024 include other modern languages (8.1%) including Chinese, Polish, Arabic, Italian, and Urdu, economics (6.9%), Spanish (6.2%), and social science subjects (6.2%) like sociology and psychology, all of which have also seen healthy longer-term increases.

• Finally, Irish, a SHAPE subject which is generally only offered in Northern Ireland, saw entries increase by 14.8% between 2023 to 2024.

Children affected by crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their schools should be able to appeal their grades, the Lib Dems are urging.

Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:

As we saw last week with A Level results, there will be thousands of students across the country whose education has been disrupted by crumbling RAAC in their schools, leaving their schooling in turmoil.

The estimated 19,700 children taking GCSEs who have been affected by RAAC should be able to access a special appeals process which would allow schools to appeal for higher grades.

There has been a growing gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers and this is something that must be tackled. It is vital that all children, regardless of their background are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The National Union of Students is helpfully reminding pupils that “your grades do not define you”.

Qasim Hussain, Vice President Further Education, said:

Congratulations on getting your GCSE results! No matter your grades, you should be so proud of yourself for all the hard work you put in.

Your grades do not define you. If you haven’t got the grades you expected, don’t panic. It may feel like the end of the world, but there are lots of ways to achieve your goals, be that sixth form, college or an apprenticeship. If you don’t know what you want to do, make sure to talk to your teachers, or guidance or careers counsellors to help identify what is the right path for you.

I am excited to see you as part of the student movement! If you’re going to a sixth form or college, get involved in your students’ union. If you’re going into an apprenticeship, get involved with the National Society of Apprentices.

English GCSE resit pass rate falls

Alex Clark

The government should scrap the requirement to resit English and maths GCSEs for those who fall short of achieving a Grade 4, the Association of School and College Leaders is urging.

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

A significant proportion of students who fall short of achieving at least a Grade 4 GCSE pass in English and maths…will be consigned to a remorseless treadmill of resits in post-16 education under rules drawn up by the last government. As this year’s results show, most of these students once again fall short of the Grade 4 benchmark in their resits. This is completely demoralising

It is imperative that the government’s curriculum and assessment review considers how we can do better for these young people – and a good start would be to scrap the requirements which compel mass resits.

Today’s results also show significant differences in regional outcomes for GCSEs in England, particularly between the results in London and the South East compared to the North and Midlands. This suggests that relative levels of prosperity and socioeconomic disadvantage continue to play a huge part in educational outcomes, and addressing these gaps must be a key priority for the new government working alongside the education sector.

We have to do more to support our schools and colleges. Funding and teacher shortages, combined with post-pandemic issues around mental health, behaviour and attendance, have made circumstances particularly challenging. An improvement to school and college funding in general, and the special educational needs system in particular, is absolutely key to improving matters. The government must grasp this nettle in the autumn budget.

The examination system is “urgently in need of reform”, the largest education trade union is warning.

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

Today’s results have been achieved against an examination system that does not plays to all strengths and is in urgently in need of reform.

The sheer volume of formal written testing required for GCSEs is beyond burdensome – for teachers and students. In the vast majority of subject entries, it is the only way students are allowed to show what they know and can do, and this simply does not do them all justice. It also causes significant, avoidable stress and anxiety given the high stakes attached to this all or nothing method of assessment.

The EBacc forces the arts, vocational and technical subjects increasingly further out of the curriculum. The content is not representative of all students and their communities, and is not sufficiently engaging, inclusive or modern.

NEU members welcome the government’s upcoming review of these issues, to ensure future cohorts do not have the same inadequate experience. It is vital that their expertise, as well as student voice, is central to any changes.

Desperately high levels of child poverty are also a huge barrier to children and young people’s education, making concentrating and learning an almost impossible daily struggle. Long standing regional disparities in results have continued this year and we know that levels of child poverty are not equal across the country. We will have to wait for further analysis to know if these regional disparities are a reflection of unequal circumstances nationally, but should that be the case it would further highlight the injustices that need addressing. The new cross-government task force on child poverty is welcome because tackling child poverty levels are going to need a joined-up plan.

There have been slight increases in all modern foreign language GCSE entries since 2023 and improvements in GCSE French and German results, according to the National Consortium for Languages Education.

The increases include:

• 2.9% increase in French entries

• 3.5% increase in German entries

• 6.2% increase in Spanish entries

• 8.1% increase in other modern foreign languages entries

Vicky Gough, British Council schools adviser, said:

It’s wonderful to see a rise in the uptake of all languages. Notably, German has increased after experiencing one of the steepest declines last year, while the popularity of Spanish continues to soar, bringing it nearly on par with the number of French entries.

The government’s plan to increase teacher numbers is a positive step towards improving language education in the UK.

Fewer students from the least privileged backgrounds are studying arts subjects, according to Schools Minister Catherine McKinnell.

She said:

I want to congratulate both students and teachers on their achievements today despite the many challenges they’ve had to overcome over the past few years to get here.

While this is a moment to celebrate, I am deeply concerned about the inequalities in our education system with where you live and what type of school you attend still being too big an influence on your opportunities.

Our review of the curriculum will break down barriers and ensure art, sport, music and drama are no longer the preserve of a privileged few.

Whilst more students entered art and design this year compared to last, entries to all other arts subjects are lower than in 2019.

The largest declines are in performing and expressive arts (-28.7%) and Drama (-14.4%), with both subjects having also seen decreases in entries from 2023.

Arts are a vital part of students accessing a broad and balanced curriculum and along with culture and sport, are essential in supporting children and young people to develop life skills and creativity, according to the Department for Education.

The government’s curriculum and assessment review will seek to ensure curriculums are “broad and rich” and that the arts and music are no longer the preserve of a privileged few.

Here are some more photos of apprehensive pupils opening their GCSE results today:

Top grades fall in Wales and Northern Ireland

Alex Clark

Here is the PA news agency’s take on the main figures from this year’s GCSE results:

• The proportion of entries receiving the highest grades has fallen from last year but remains higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

• A total of 21.8% of entries were awarded grade 7/A or above, down slightly from 22.0% in 2023 but above the 20.8% in 2019.

• Some 67.6% of entries received a grade 4/C or above. This is down from 68.2% last year but higher than 67.3% in 2019.

• The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9%, down from 98.0% in 2023 and also below 98.3% in 2019. This is the lowest 1/G figure for nearly two decades, since 97.8% in 2005.

• The lead enjoyed by girls over boys for the top grades has narrowed slightly. The proportion of total female entries awarded grade 7/A or above was 24.7%, 5.7 percentage points higher than total male entries (19.0%). This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since 2009, when it was also 5.7 points. Last year, girls led boys by 5.8 percentage points (24.9% girls, 19.1% boys).

• The gap at grade 4/C is unchanged from last year. Some 71.0% of total female entries were awarded 4/C or higher, compared with 64.2% for boys, a lead of 6.8 points. Last year the figures were 71.7% for girls’ entries and 64.9% for boys’ entries, also 6.8 points. This is the narrowest lead for girls at 4/C since at least 2000.

• The most popular subject in terms of entries this year was the science double award, with a total of 980,786 entries, up 4.8% on 2023.

• Maths remains the second most popular subject, with 878,165 entries, up 6.9% on 2023. English language was the third most popular subject, with 845,834 entries, a rise of 7.2%.

• Among subjects with more than 100,000 entries, business studies saw the largest percentage increase in entries this year, up 9.7% from 123,166 in 2023 to 135,090 in 2024.

• Among subject with under 100,000 entries, statistics saw the biggest percentage increase, up 19.9% from 26,559 in 2023 to 31,844.

• Across the regions of England, London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded grades 7/A or above (28.5%, up 0.1 percentage points from 28.4% in 2023), while north-east England had the lowest (17.8%, up 0.2 points from 17.6% in 2023).

• Overall, there were a total of 6,186,879 GCSE entries, up by 4.8% on last year’s figure of 5,905,000.

• Some 1,270 16-year-olds in England taking at least seven GCSEs achieved a grade 9 in all their subjects. This is up from 1,160 in 2023 and from 837 in 2019.

GCSE results gap between London and north east of England narrows for first time in nearly 10 years

Ofqual has published some useful maps showing the breakdown of GCSE results by region in England and by gender.

GCSE results for England’s 16-year-olds back at pre-Covid levels

Pamela Duncan

Here are some tips from a mental health nurse on supporting children on results day:

Harriet Finlayson, Specialist Mental Health Nurse at Bupa, recommends:

• Encouraging conversation by creating a safe space for open and honest communication. Encourage your child to express their anxieties and concerns about exams and results without judgement. Sometimes, simply talking things through can be incredibly helpful in managing stress. Validate their feelings and remind them that it is ok to feel disappointed or upset, and no matter what the result there are always options that will open new doors.

• Avoiding comparison with classmates or siblings, if their results aren’t as good as they expected. It’s important to note that doing so can make them feel worse. Instead try to remind them of their own achievements which may sit outside of academia.

• Seeking a teacher’s advice, whether that be discussing resitting exams, foundation years, vocational qualifications, or apprenticeships. Try scheduling a meeting with your child’s teacher or the school’s advisor and ask your child if they’d like you to attend with them as well.

• Being a positive role model by sharing your own setbacks or past experiences and how you dealt with them. This can help to put into perspective for your child that this is something you can come back from.

Here are some photos of student celebrating their GCSE results: