- Top GCSE grades across the UK saw a slight increase this year with 22 per cent of entries achieving at least a grade 7 or A, while standard pass rates settled back to pre-pandemic levels at 67.3 per cent.
- The attainment gap between boys and girls narrowed to its smallest margin since at least 2000, though girls continue to outperform boys across both top marks and standard pass grades.
- Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced plans for a new Level 1 stepping stone qualification in English and maths to help post-16 students, following a fall in pass rates despite increased resit entry numbers.
- Regional disparities widened to a record high, as the gap in top grades awarded between London, the highest-performing region, and the North East, the lowest-performing, expanded to 10.9 percentage points.
- Following a 2025 pilot scheme, all Year 11 candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were able to access their GCSE and technical results digitally through a mobile app for the first time.
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