The release of GCSE results brings a familiar headline at first glance, with overall figures showing stability across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, according to the BBC. When examining national figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications and Ofqual, analysts note that grades are up very, very slightly from last year, marking the third year that grades have increased, as reported by FFT Education Data Lab.
Overall GCSE Pass Rates Stable Amid Subject Variations
The proportion of entries in England graded 7 or above increased by 0.1 percentage points, moving from 23.0% to 23.1%. For achievements at grade 4 or above, the proportion rose by 0.2 percentage points, shifting from 70.5% to 70.7%. These metrics remain slightly above pre-pandemic levels from 2019, when 21.9% of entries achieved grade 7 or above and 69.9% achieved grade 4 or above. Wales and Northern Ireland displayed a similar pattern, with the proportion of entries graded 7 or equivalent and above increasing by 0.1 percentage points and remaining somewhat above pre-pandemic levels.
English and Maths Declines Contrast With Modern Foreign Languages
Despite the slight overall upward tick, specific core subjects experienced downward trends. According to data covered by TES, the pass rate for English language at grade 4 or above dropped to 59.5%, down from 59.7% last year and 61.6% in 2024. In mathematics, the pass rate fell to 57.2%, down from 58.2% in 2025. Both subjects have seen decreases in passes at grade 4 or higher every year since peaking during Covid in 2021.
Entry volumes also shifted, with fewer students entering English language (819,199) and maths (851,268) compared to the previous year, when entries stood at 825,940 and 856,430 respectively. The performance of students aged 17 or older—typically those retaking exams—contributed to the dragging down of overall results in English and maths, with only 19.8% achieving a grade 4 or better in English language, down from 20.9% in each of the previous two years. Conversely, modern foreign languages saw notable gains. Spanish achieved the largest increase among top grades, rising by nearly two percentage points from 26.0% to 27.8%, while German and French saw increases of 0.7 and 0.6 percentage points respectively.
Widening Regional Divide and Narrowing Gender Gap
While subject-level performance varied, structural divides across the country shifted in contrasting directions. The regional attainment divide in England continued to grow, with the gap between regions reaching 9.3 percentage points when comparing London, where 71.7% of entries were graded 4 or higher, to the West Midlands at 62.4%. Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, called it deeply concerning to see such stubborn regional inequalities, warning that children experiencing persistent long-term disadvantage have fallen further behind their peers since the pandemic.
At the same time, the gender gap in grading narrowed for the fifth year. A higher proportion of entries from female pupils received top grades (25.5%) compared to male pupils (20.7%). However, that gap has fallen from a high of 9.0 percentage points in 2021, dropping well below pre-pandemic levels as female top grades have changed very little since 2023 while boys have seen a larger relative increase. Additionally, the gap in top grades between state and private schools slightly reduced, moving from a 27.4 percentage point difference in 2025 down to 26.5 percentage points, with 20.6% of entries achieving a grade 7 or above across state-funded schools compared to 47.1% in private schools.
