The overall pass rate is 67.4%, up a little from the last couple of years. This year’s data highlights notable disparities in performance between different regions and subjects, while showcasing shifts in language popularity among students.
The overall GCSE pass rate in England is being reported at 67.1%, with Wales coming in a close second at 62.5%. Northern Ireland has the highest pass rate in the UK with 83.5% passes. The achievement gap between the highest- and lowest-performing regions has closed to 8.7 percentage points. This overall improvement brings to the fore an increased disparity in regional performance. London comes out on top with a 71.6% pass rate, while the West Midlands have the worst rate at 62.9%.
Performance in high school subjects is another indicator that shows wide disparities. For GCSE English and maths, the North East had a 64.9% pass rate. The North West wasn’t far behind, with 64.2%, and Yorkshire and The Humber came in at 63.6%. The East Midlands was the lowest successful region with a pass rate of 65%. The East of England reached 68% and the South West even further ahead at 69.1%. The South East was the only region with a pass rate of 70%, further demonstrating the educational supremacy of the South East region.
The picture painted by this year’s GCSE results marks a significant turn in the tide when it comes to language studies too. There were 136,871 entries for Spanish GCSE, overtaking the 132,808 entries for French for the first time on record. Jill Duffy, chair of the OCR exam board, says Spanish is a “huge world language.” This change speaks to a larger trend that favors the learning of Spanish over that of other languages.
Indeed, while the trends are broadly positive, there are significant worries when it comes to educational inequities. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that these results “expose the inequalities that are entrenched in our education system.” This recognition necessitates a deeper look into how educational resources and opportunities are inequitable and distributed along demographic lines.
So far this year almost a quarter of all maths and English GCSEs were entered by 17 and 18-year-olds. This is an encouraging trend indicating that older, more mature students are seeking out these initial important subjects after they’ve become more immersed in their education.
The difference in boys’ and girls’ pass rates has reached an all-time low. In the 2025 projections, mostly boys will be passing at a 64.3 percent pass rate, and girls will be passing at 70.5 percent. This closing gap is a positive state of affairs for gender performance equality in secondary education.
Jill Duffy raised concerns about what she termed a “resit crisis” affecting students who struggle to attain passing grades on their first attempt. She emphasized that “tinkering at the edges of policy won’t fix this,” advocating for “fundamental reform to maths and English secondary education” to better support those who fall behind.
Though many hurdles remain, education stakeholder organizations were heartened to see some encouraging results. A spokesperson from the Association of School and College Leaders welcomed the improvements as visible progress in many areas, across several metrics. They all pointed to the persistent need to keep the spotlight on reform.
