The number of students getting all 9s - the top grade - plummeted by nearly half since last year. London and the South East achieve the highest share of top grades. Meanwhile, in England, the proportion of grades 7 and above at independent schools dropped slightly on both 2019 and 2022.
Thursday 24 August 2023 13:05, UK
Thanks for following along.
If you got your results today, we hope you got the grades you wanted - but if not, know there will still be options for you and there will be people you can talk to about it.
Before you go, here's a round-up of what happened today:
Seb Murphy was diagnosed with cancer aged three and has faced significant health problems since - but today he celebrated getting nine GCSEs.
The Leeds 16-year-old said it had been a "really rough journey".
"The support of my family, friends, and the school has kept me strong, and I've had a lot of support and good care from the hospital.
"I just take everything one day at a time."
Seb is celebrating scoring a 9, five 8s and three 7s in his nine GCSEs, and will now take A-levels in psychology, business, history and English literature.
He received a life-saving stem cell transplant in 2018 but his immune system was wiped out and he missed 18 months of school during treatment and recovery.
During the pandemic he kept up with lessons at Bradford Grammar School thanks to a robot that sat in lessons for him and beamed the action back to his tablet at home.
He still faces health challenges and only has around one third of his normal lung capacity, which impacts his stamina and energy levels.
After months of hard work, revision, and what felt like endless exam papers, results day can feel rather daunting.
Even after that envelope is opened, you might be feeling lost or unsure what to do next.
Luckily, UK-based charity the Mental Health Foundation has provided its top five tips for opening results, and the time afterwards.
1. Set time aside to take a moment for yourself
Process the day and take some time out for yourself.
2. Make a plan for after you open your results
Having something to look forward to, no matter what it is. As 16-year-old Emily Farrar put it: "It's party time now."
3. Chat to your friends about how you're feeling
When you are ready, it might help to talk to someone about how you are feeling, whether this be friends, family or someone else.
4. Know you've done everything you can
Try to accept your results.
5. Be proud of yourself
Be proud of yourself and your hard work and remember you are worth more than your grades.
Entries for Spanish jumped this summer - up 11.3% on 2022 - with holiday habits a possible reason why.
In fact, Spanish could be on track to overtake French as the most popular language GCSE if its popularity continues to grow at the same rate.
Claire Thomson from the AQA exam board said students could be choosing the language because it's perceived as easier to pick up.
"The grammar and the pronunciation might be a bit easier at the lower levels than French and German, for example," she said.
"I think also there's more societal things like actually, it's a popular holiday destination for many families so students can relate to it a little bit more.
"It's also perceived to be pretty important around the world - there are something like over 400 million people who can speak the language."
Arguably one of the most successful British entrepreneurs is Richard Branson, and this results day he has given his advice to students who may be feeling "disheartened".
"Being different is your biggest asset. In life, your curiosity, instinct, hard-work & kindness will define your success, not grades alone," Branson wrote on X (formerly Twitter) this morning.
Like around six million people in the UK, Branson is dyslexic.
Partnering with charity Made By Dyslexia, the 73-year-old is aiming to prove you don't need to ace exams to make a difference.
"Without being dyslexic, I wouldn't have gone out into the world to try and create the things I was interested in," he said.
Fewer GCSEs were awarded in Wales this year compared with last year - but the Welsh education minister told Wales reporter Tomos Evans it is not cause for concern.
Jeremy Miles told Paste BN the drop for the second year in a row was "not surprising" after previous years of high entries.
"I think one of the factors behind this year is a reduction in some subjects of early entry," he said.
"In the past, young people have often sat some exams in year 10 and I think we've seen less of that this year.
"I don't think the numbers are at all anything to be concerned about.
"There is a level of varying ability year on year and I think given the experiences over the last couple of years, they were quite exceptional really."
But shadow education minister Laura Anne Jones from the Welsh Conservatives did not agree, calling the decrease "concerning".
"The drop in exam entries is particularly significant amongst children from a disadvantaged background," she said.
Here are some more students who are now firming up their plans for the future after getting their results.
Farjad Khan, a pupil at Kingsley Academy in Hounslow, says his results were "better than I expected" after battling nerves before today.
He got seven 7s, one 6, one 5 and one 4 grade. He is going to take biology, chemistry and maths at A level with a plan to study medicine.
"I feel happy, excited about the future," he said.
Patrick Gomes is off to study sports level three at college after getting one grade 8, some 5s, 4s and a 3.
"I want a boxing career so if that doesn't work I'll go for something in sports," he said.
The impact of COVID was "difficult", he said - "but we managed to do it".
Students who've had the stress of getting their results today will be able to pick up some free food deals at certain chain restaurants.
Here are some of the places where you can go to celebrate (or commiserate)...
Nando's
Students can pick up a free 1/4 chicken or starter when they show their student ID and results at the till.
You'll need to spend £7 or more and order at the till to eat in or walk-in collect at one of their restaurants.
Frankie and Benny's
Those who show their exam results can get a free pizza and Coke.
The deal includes a free margherita pizza (vegan and gluten-free options are available) and a regular Coke (Coke Zero, Regular Coke, Diet Coke).
Chiquito
You can get a free portion of garlic tortilla bread and a regular Coke if you show your exam results.
TGI Fridays
Students can get 23% off their food bill today, though they'll need to join the Stripes Rewards loyalty programme to qualify.
Bella Italia
If you put your email into the website here you can get a code for 30% off your food bill today.
You'll need to show proof of receiving your GCSE results to your server, and also purchase at least one adult main.
The deal is not available at Center Parcs sites, Edinburgh Hanover, Edinburgh Northbridge, Inverness or Portsmouth restaurants.
Wildwood
Students can get a free garlic rosemary bread, classic margherita pizza or spaghetti pomodoro if they show their proof of age and valid exam results.
There is also a minimum spend of £7 per person.
Bill's
If you bring your student ID and proof of results, you can get a free dessert with any purchase of a main.
Parna Aghababaei Darian is from Iran.
She's been at Kingsley Academy in Hounslow since February after moving from Turkey.
She got a 5 in maths, 4 in science, 3 in language and a 3 in geography.
"I feel good," she says.
"I think I could have done a little bit better for language. From February until now, I think I have done my best.
"I was in Turkey before now - COVID affected me as I didn't like online studying."
She is going to go medical school after sixth form where she is going to study chemistry, biology or physics and maths.
As we have been reporting, this year's GCSE results show a clear attainment gap, especially between the north and south of England.
But Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has played down suggestions the gap is growing in secondary schools - although she admitted it had “taken a step back” in recent years.
"The attainment gap was actually narrowing quite considerably from 2010 to before the pandemic," she said during a visit to Paddington Academy in west London.
"We got it down 9.1% which was brilliant, and we were really pleased with that.
"Now it has taken a step back in the pandemic. We have put £5bn into catch-up. Nearly four million catch-up tutoring courses have been taken, and you see the evidence of the catch-up in the results today."
Earlier, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, suggested the government did not invest sufficiently in education recovery from the pandemic, and had failed to address the high level of child poverty in the UK.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Paste BN app for free
