In the United Kingdom 24.7 percent of female students achieved an A/7 grade or higher at GCSE level, compared with 19 percent of female students in Summer 2024. In the provided time period, female students have consistently had a higher pass rate for high grades than male students, with the pass rates at this level peaking in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique grading methods used in these academic years.

In 2024, five percent of GCSE entries in England were awarded the highest grade of 9, with a further 7.1 percent of entries being awarded an 8, the second-highest grade. A 5 grade was the most common individual grade level achieved by GCSE students, at 16.6 percent of all entries.

This statistic shows the GCSE results/pass rates in England (UK) from the academic years 2004/2005 to 2015/2016. The results are split by level of attainment and if English and mathematics were included. The peak for results during this period was 2011/12 when the pass rates for each category were for the most part equal to, or higher, than any other year.

GCSE and equivalent results and associated contextual value added measures of 15-year-old pupils in maintained schools by gender and location of school/educational institution.

See more on the DfE website.

This table covers data published in the Welsh Government's annual "Examination Results" release. It provides information on the number of GCSE entries into each subject group and the percentage of those entries achieving each GCSE grade. For more information see the Weblinks. Note that this year, the definition of this table has changed. This table now includes entries taken in previous years, and discounted exams are excluded. This is so that the table is consistent with the rest of the key performance indicators. Figures should be treated with caution - it is possible for pupils to have entered more than one exam within a small number of subject groups.

Now re-named Performance Tables, these statistics contain school and college level information on the performance of pupils reaching the end of their Key Stage 4 education in England. Source agency: Education Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: 2009/10

Pupils Achieving 5+ A* - C, plus average point scores per pupil by Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility.(Referenced by Location of Pupil Residence)

Data covers pupils in maintained schools in England and who are resident in England.

Department for Education did not proceed with collating and publishing Key Stage 3 Achievement and Attainment tables at school-level for 2008, as it was deemed that it would place a disproportionate burden on secondary schools.

Available an MSOA level from Neighbourhood Statistics.

In Summer 2024, GCSE students in the United Kingdom had a pass rate (achieving a grade of C/4 or higher) of 67.6 percent, the lowest since 2019 but still a noticeable increase when compared with years before 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, and closure of schools in the UK led to exams throughout the country being cancelled, with grades in 2020 and 2021 based on assessment by teachers and schools. During this provided time period, the highest pass rate was reported in 2021, when 77.1 percent of GCSE entries achieved a pass grade, while it was lowest in 1988, when just 41.9 percent of entries were awarded a pass grade. Gender attainment gap Among female students, the proportion of GCSE entries that received a pass rate in 2024 was 71 percent, compared with 64.2 percent of male students. This attainment gap between male and female students has been a consistent feature of GCSE exam results in recent years, with female A-Level students also outperforming their male counterparts. Among undergraduates, this gap is less pronounced, with UK degree results for 2021/22 showing female undergraduates attaining only slightly higher grades than males. Growing negativity about UK education system According to a survey conducted in June 2024, approximately 42 percent of British adults thought that education across the country was in a bad shape, compared with 32 percent who thought it was doing well. This is down from 2021 when just under half of adults believed that the national education system was good, and just 27 percent who thought it was bad. Although education currently lies behind several other issues for Britons in terms of importance, such as the economy, the growing discontent about education will likely be one of the many issues the new Labour government will have to face in the coming months. As of July 2024, the Labour Party was also seen as the best party at handling education issues, ahead of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats.

GCSE and Equivalent Results for Young People by Gender (Referenced by Location of Pupil Residence) since 2001/02.

The figures presented here provide information about the GCSE and Equivalent results for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools in England and who are resident in England.

If any of the pupils included in this dataset had taken GCSE and Equivalent exams in previous years, their results are also included in this dataset.

Please note, pupils recently arrived from overseas who have English as an additional language and who entered school for the first time after the start of the academic year are excluded from local and regional averages.

Information can only be reproduced if the source is fully acknowledged.

Data can be downloaded from Neighbourhood Statistics.

Available to Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA).

View on DFE Website

Tests consisting of parallel versions of GCSE mathematics questions, presented using different discourse features found in examinations between 1980 and 2011, were administered to a sample of students in London schools. The data collection consists of student answers to the parallel versions of the questions.

The aim of the project is to investigate what has changed since the introduction of the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) examination in 1988 in the mathematics that pupils are expected to learn and the ways in which they are expected to approach mathematical activity. The study will provide insight into how changes in curriculum and assessment may affect pupils' mathematical learning.

A sample of examination papers chosen from critical points in the development of the mathematics curriculum and GCSE examinations will be analysed, probing not only the content but also the ways in which pupils are expected to engage with and respond to the tasks. Tools for analysis, based on existing frameworks for analysing mathematical texts, will be developed to meet the objectives of the study. The validity of the analysis will be confirmed in consultation with an expert focus group.

A group of current school pupils will be given a selection of questions taken from the sample of examination papers. Analysis of their written responses together with follow-up task-based interviews will investigate how differences in the ways the questions are posed may affect the ways pupils approach the mathematics.

The data measures the percentage of pupils at state-funded mainstream schools who got a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths. This used to be known as a ‘strong pass’.

All data is analysed by ethnicity. There are extra analyses combining ethnicity with eligibility for free school meals, local authority, and gender.

This data comes from the Department for Education and is published on 'Ethnicity facts and figures'.

Data on the experiences of GCSE students in England during the coronavirus pandemic, by income-related deprivation. Estimates on experiences of remote learning, education recovery and catch-up activities and aspirations for the future, using the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) study dataset.

Statistics on the number of appeals against results for GCSEs, AS and A levels.

Source agency: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation

Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Report on the summer examination series of appeals against results for GCSE and GCE covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In 2023, there were approximately, 125,151 high school students in England taking French at GCSE level, compared with 120,198 taking Spanish and 33,677 taking German. During the provided time period, the number of students taking German has been declining since 2010 while those taking Spanish has increased. Spanish overtook German as the second most popular language in 2011 with 58,681 taking it at GCSE level, compared with 58,299 pupils taking German.

This Statistical First Release (SFR) provides updated information on the overall achievements of young people in GCSE examinations and other accredited qualifications in 2009/10. The information is taken from data collated for the 2010 Secondary School Performance Tables, which has been checked by schools. The results shown in this SFR are based on pupils reaching the end of Key Stage 4, typically those starting the academic year aged 15.

Two new indicators are included in this publication: the percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate and the percentage of pupils achieving GCSE English and maths at grade A*-C.

Accredited iGCSEs are included in the figures for the first time in 2010 as equivalent to GCSEs and have been counted towards the new indicators mentioned above as well as existing measures. The impact of their inclusion has been shown in the tables where appropriate.

The SFR includes national figures, local authority figures, urban and rural classifications and local authority district figures.