David Rowley
Product Manager, NCFE

Since a wide-ranging curriculum reform which concluded in the summer of 2020, all GCSEs in England have been graded 9-1, with 9 being the highest grade.

All grades are considered a pass, however a grade 4 is often referred to as a "standard pass", and is roughly equivalent to a C grade in old GCSEs.

This BBC article has a good explanation, and also a diagram showing the equivalency of old to new GCSE grading systems (which you can also see below).

Wales and Northern Ireland still use the A*-G grading model that was present in old English GCSEs, with C still being considered a "standard pass".

Niki Mckenna
Head of the 14+ Academies at Leeds City College

Our panel of experts are answering some of the questions you've been asking.

Yes, you can re-take a subject even if you've already passed, especially if you're aiming for a higher grade.

This can be helpful if you're hoping to progress to a certain course or meet specific entry requirements.

However, there may be costs involved, and not all schools or colleges offer this option, so it's important to speak with your school or college to discuss your situation and find out what's possible.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

The gap between boys’ and girls’ pass rates across all three nations has narrowed to its lowest on record.

Girls continue to outperform boys – but their grades have dropped, while boys’ results have risen very slightly.

It means there’s a difference of 6.1 percentage points this year – down from 6.7 last year.

We’ve been looking over data that goes back all the way to the year 2000, and that gap is the lowest it’s been at any point this century.

It was at its widest in 2017 (9.5 percentage points) and has been falling ever since.

Analysis from the Education Policy Institute, external suggests that girls’ performance has been “declining in absolute terms” since the Covid pandemic first hit.

It has linked this to “worrying trends around girls’ wellbeing” such as worsening mental health and social media use.

Take a look at the other key takeaways from the data released earlier.

Zane, a year 10 student in Cardiff, is opening his GCSE results on camera.

He tells the BBC "all I'm looking for is a D in Maths" so he'll be able to move up a set in Maths. He will then aim for a B next year.

He says this is crucial for his plans to become a CFO - a chief financial officer - in the future.

So did he do it? Watch the video to find out!

Image source, PA Media

Young shepherd Milly Johnson took an unusual companion along with her to pick up her results from Tarleton Academy near Preston.

Milly, who won awards for sheep-handling, brought along a North Ronaldsay sheep called Kevin.

"He's my best friend and he comes pretty much everywhere with me," Milly told PA Media.

She explained the four-year-old rare breed acted as a "therapy sheep" to calm her exam nerves, and even accompanied her to the school prom, wearing a halter which matched her dress.

As well as achieving the grades she was expecting, including two grade 7s and two grade 6s, Milly had another reason to celebrate. She received a call on Wednesday with an offer for a veterinary nurse apprenticeship at a farm vets.

Many students are celebrating as they pick up their results today, including one who defied her predicted grades.

"I passed French, I got 5 but I was predicted a U so I'm really happy," she tells the BBC.

Jo Fellowes
Careers Adviser, National Careers Service

A BBC News Instagram follower asks: “What options are available for further studies/apprenticeships if I don’t get good grades?”

Don’t panic - there are still plenty of options.

Colleges offer courses at different levels, so you can start where you are and work your way up. If you didn’t get the grades you hoped for in English or Maths, you can retake them alongside another course.

Apprenticeships are also a great choice - many don’t require top grades and will support you to improve your skills while gaining real work experience. Vocational courses in areas like construction, childcare, health, beauty, or IT can also give you a clear pathway into work.

What matters most is staying motivated and using each step as a building block to reach your future goals.

We'll be answering your questions here throughout the day. Our experts will also tackle your questions in our stream at the top of this page from 11:30 - click Watch Live.

Alex Emery
BBC News

Betty, who attends Malden Oaks, a specialist school in Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) for Kingston and Richmond, is delighted with her results.

She achieved grade 9s in English Literature, English Language; grade 8s in Biology, Sociology; grade 6s in Maths, Drama and grade 5 in Chemistry.

Betty says: “I’m so glad all my hard work paid off. Malden is a really supportive school and helped me so much.

"I’m going to Esher College to do English literature, film and philosophy.”

The head of exam body OCR says the education system is in a "resit crisis" after national data showed "nearly a quarter of GCSE Maths and English entries were resits".

Jill Duffy says this is an "all-time high" and "less than a fifth of resitting students achieved the grade 4 they need to break out of the resit cycle". She adds "fundamental reform" is needed to Maths and English secondary education.

Duffy also criticised the ongoing attainment gap - both regionally and between boys and girls.

The latest data showed the gap in pass rates across the regions has shrunk, but it's still higher than before the pandemic.

“Boys are slowly catching up with girls, but the GCSE attainment gap remains significant".

Duffy praises the growth in some specific subjects, saying GCSE Music is "climbing the scales", and calling statistics "the fastest growing GCSE subject".

Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are continuing to receive their exam results today.

And - if you have any questions about your results - our experts will be on hand to answer them.

You can get in touch in the following ways: 

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We'll be tackling your questions throughout the day but you can follow our panel of experts answer them at 11:30 by clicking Watch Live at the top of this page.

In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.   

Emily Holt
Reporting from Nottingham

Image source, BBC / EMILY HOLT

“My hands were shaking, I felt like I was going to pass out, it determines my future,” Gabriel, 16, tells me.

The 16-year-old explains he was a nervous wreck before getting his results but, having achieved the results he needed to progress to college, he can now relax.

“I can’t wait to go home and sleep, and then go back out to town and claim all my freebies.”

Gabriel is going to study sociology, psychology and philosophy at college and has ambitions of becoming a therapist or a behavioural officer.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Image source, Craig Rutherford

Peering over the shoulders of many nervous students picking up their results today will be equally-nervous parents.

But not all of them are on the edge of their seat.

Craig Rutherford, whose son Kayden is picking up his results today, says: "I'm not worrying about it. It's a mix of nerves and pride that he's come so far. But, I'm not too bad."

He says Kayden, being "the most laidback child you would ever meet", isn't too worried either.

"If he were any more laidback, he'd be lying down".

That being said, Craig makes clear that he is very proud of his son and the young man he is becoming.

"No matter the result, I am proud. If he is disappointed, it's my job to help him through disappointment. He's tried his best and, if that's not good enough, we'll be there for him."

Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been opening their results this morning which - beyond shaping their next steps - reveal some regional and national patterns.

Our education correspondent Hazel Shearing has been analysing the latest national data. Here's the key takeaways:

• The overall GCSE pass rate has fallen by 0.2%, with 67.4% of students receiving a pass or above
• This isn't the case across the nations - with a rise in the pass rate in Wales and Northern Ireland
• The gap in pass rates across the regions has shrunk, but it's still higher than before the pandemic
• London has the highest pass rate, while the West Midlands has the lowest - but the gap in between the two has shrunk

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Often we focus on how nerve-wracking GCSE results day is for students. But there's another group of people also at the edge of their seat on this momentous day: their teachers.

"I almost feel sick to my stomach on results day," says Niki Tailor, Head of Year 11 at EGA School in London. "I've been doing this for ten years. That nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach never goes away."

She says teachers are as nervous as students on results day because they're just as invested in their success.

Niki says it's also emotional for teachers to watch this chapter come to an end: "I've been with my students since Year 7. I remember them coming to school on their first day. It's a full circle moment.

"It's the end of a journey, for us and the students, but a start of a new one."

Emily Doughty
reporting from Scarborough

Many students will know by now what results they have achieved.

Noah has also picked up his envelope, but he's putting off opening it for now - to the frustration of his mum.

“I feel pressure to do well, because if I do well now, I know I will have the motivation to do well in college," he says.

Whatever he gets, mum Charlotte says she will be proud of him.

“He is a bright lad and he will have done well. However he has done, we will celebrate."

Daniel Logan
Reporting from Portadown

Image source, BBC/Daniel Logan

Lara Lopes says she couldn't rest till 06:00 this morning because she was "really, really nervous".

Lara achieved all Bs - with one in Portuguese - and a C in Maths.

"I'm really not good at maths so I was delighted," she says: "I thought I'd get a D."

She says she hopes to go on to study law or politics at university in the future.

Image source, BBC/Daniel Logan

Meanwhile, Georgina says she barely slept as her nerves were so high.

She says she got As, Bs and Cs in her results. "I done really well, I done better than expected," she says.

Georgina - who has aspirations of becoming a nurse would like to study health and social care - says it is "heart-breaking" to leave the school and "scary because you're going into something bigger".

Image source, BBC/Daniel Logan

Wiktoria is also happy with her results.

"I've been so nervous but I mean I wasn't over confident or anything but I knew I'd do ok," she says. "I done really well, I am actually so happy with my results."

She's planning to study science and hopes of getting a job in the pharmaceutical industry.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson warned last night that today's results would "expose the inequalities that are entrenched in our education system".

Let’s take a look at what’s happened in the different regions in England.

Like last year, London had the highest pass rate (71.6%) and the West Midlands had the lowest (62.9%).

It’s the first time the gap between the highest- and lowest-performing regions has shrunk since 2021. It’s 8.7 percentage points this year, down from 9.4 last year.

However, the gap is still wider than it was at any point in the decade leading up to the pandemic, when it ranged between 6.4 and 7.2 percentage points.

The narrowing of the gap this year is not because the pass rate in the West Midlands has risen (it has actually dropped slightly), but rather because it fell more steeply in London than in any other region.

We will bring you a recap of the key takeaways from the national data soon - stay with us.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Earlier we reported on the fall in the GCSE pass rate but it’s a different story in each nation.

England is the only nation to have seen a fall. The pass rate has actually gone up in Wales and Northern Ireland.

This year the proportion of GCSEs marked at 4/C and above is:

• 67.1% in England, down from 67.4% in 2024
• 62.5% in Wales, up from 62.2%
• 83.5% in Northern Ireland, up from 82.7%

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

The GCSE pass rate has fallen again– with 67.4% of all grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at 4/C and above.

That is slightly down from 67.6% last year, according to the latest national data released at 09:30.

Grades were always expected to be similar to last year, after years of flux because of the Covid pandemic.

There were sharp rises in top grades in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers’ assessments.

That was followed by a phased effort to bring them back down to 2019 levels.

This is the second year that grading has returned to pre-pandemic standards across all three nations.

The percentage of pass grades this year is only very slightly higher than it was in 2019, when it was 67.3%.

Daniel Logan
Reporting from Portadown

Image source, BBC/Daniel Logan

At St John the Baptist's College in Portadown, pupils start to nervously filter in to receive their results.

Sean Kerr has already got his, saying there wasn't much surprise as he "had an idea of what he was going to get".

"You get your predicted results ahead of time, so you maybe get the odd let down or improvement."

Sean sat 12 GCSEs receiving an A*, 4As, 6Bs and a C*. As a reminder, grades in Northern Ireland and Wales are marked by letters rather than the numbered system used in England.

"I'm not too sure what I want to do when I'm older, it might depend on A Level results down the line, but something in Biomedical science," he says.