As it happened: Thousands of pupils get GCSE results

1. Pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been given their GCSE results
2. But students who took BTecs face more delay as those qualifications are now being re-graded
3. The GCSE pass rate in England has increased to 79% from 70%
4. The key subjects of English and maths saw steep grade rises in England
5. Most GCSE pupils have not received in-school lessons since March and exams were scrapped due to coronavirus
6. They have been graded by their schools, after a flawed algorithm was scrapped in a series of U-turns
7. Last week 40% of A-level grades were downgraded by exams regulators
8. The education ministers of each nation later switched to centre-assessed grades for both A-levels and GCSEs

Afternoon round-up - thanks for joining us

Reuters

England, Wales and Northern Ireland saw better results from the grades assessed by schools

We're bringing our live coverage to a close, on the day when students who lived through an extraordinary school year collected their GCSE results. Here's what we learned:

• Grades in England rose significantly, with 78.8% of papers rated grade 4 or above compared 69.9% in 2019. It came after the government scrapped an algorithm to calculate students results in the absence of exams, and opted to use grades assessed by schools
• In Wales, which continues to use letter grades for GCSE, almost three-quarters of entries - 74.5% - were awarded A* to C grades, up from 62.8%
• And in Northern Ireland, almost nine out 10 results - 89.4% - were A* to C grades, up from 82.2% the previous year
• Schools Minister Nick Gibb confirmed he was warned about problems with the algorithm in July, but he said he was "reassured" by Ofqual that poorer students would not be penalised
• Ofqual's algorithm is now under investigation by the national statistics regulator over claims that the process used to test its predictive ability was fundamentally flawed
• Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has refused to defend Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, saying he should "reflect" on why England did not learn from Scotland's experience a week earlier
• And universities in England will offer all students with the right grades places on their first-choice courses, the government said, although some may have to defer for a year. Universities said there were still "significant challenges" and funding issues

Urgent review into Ofqual algorithm

Getty Images

Many students were unhappy with the results given to them by the algorithm

We've heard so much about the algorithm over the past week - that's the maths calculation that exam board Ofqual originally used to determine A-level and GCSE students' grades. The government later scrapped it.

Now the national statistics regulator is stepping in to review the algorithm.

The Office for Statistics Regulation said that the urgent review will highlight "learning from the challenges faced".

One expert who has studied the documents released by Ofqual about how the algorithm was designed, said "many mistakes were made at many different levels".

"This included technical mistakes where people implementing the concepts did not understand what the maths they had typed in meant," said Tom Haines, a lecturer in machine learning at the University of Bath.

Read the full story here.

Watch: 'I still would have liked to have sat the exams'

GCSE results: Students experience 'all the emotions'

Students told BBC Wales they experienced "all the emotions" as they collected their GCSE results amid grades chaos.

"I still think I would have liked to have sat the exams," said one pupil. "I have got amazing results but I would really would have loved to sit the exams, really prove myself.

In pictures: Smiles after most disrupted academic year in UK history

PA Media

The sun shines on students from Hazelwood College, near Belfast

PA Media

Twins Esha and Risha Gupta celebrate their GCSE results at private school The Grammar School at Leeds

EPA

Some students chose to wear masks and social distancing was in place at Kingsdale Foundation

EPA

The number of passes for England's pupils has risen dramatically

Reuters

For many of the "class of Covid" - including at Ark Academy in London - there were smiles following the week of uncertainty

'More students than ever' heading to college

PA Media

Demand for places is likely to surge after passes and top grades rose in GCSE results today, but colleges say they are "certain" that they have enough capacity to get students onto the right courses for September.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said "it is likely that more students than ever" will progress to vocational courses or A-levels.

But he warned that there may be fewer apprenticeships available as the labour market declines during the pandemic, increasing demand for college places even further.

And he said colleges need to have "the confidence that they will be funded to meet the demand”.

Will today's grade be my final result? And other questions

BBC

We've been sifting through some of the questions that have been sent in - and our two experts have been answering them.

Here's a couple of the ones we've received, but there are more questions and answers here.

Will the GCSE maths grade I was emailed by my college be my final exam result, or will it change again? I am confused by all the information going round at the moment. Rebecca Gower, Essex

The result you received this morning should have been the college centre-assessed grade (CAG), or the exam board calculated grade - whichever is higher - and should be the final grade you will receive. If you have any questions about it the best thing is to speak to your college to double check. I am sure they will be able to help.

If I get a lower grade while resitting, will I retain the previous (higher) grade? Anon

The guidance is that the higher grade of the two will be the official result.

(GCSE students will be able to sit exams in autumn 2020. Hopefully though, your results will be what you need to progress to your next course and you might decide that there is no need to take an autumn exam. Your school or college will be able to advise you.)

Analysis: Trust in results was fundamentally undermined

Branwen Jeffreys

Education Editor

EPA

The grades you leave school with shape the next few years of your life. They’re the calling card for your job hunt or getting into university.

The system is regulated with one overarching aim – to make sure that everyone trusts those grades are a fair reflection of the work and ability of young people.

So grades are meant to be just as fair and accurate from one year to the next. Over the last three weeks across the UK, that trust was fundamentally undermined as a statistical algorithm threw up results that were clearly deeply unfair to some students.

The price of putting that right - to avoid penalising a generation - is to live with a leap in pass rates overall and an increase top grades.

The cost in terms of stress to students has been incalculable.

The inquest is far from over. It’s clear this can never be allowed to happen again.

Next year exams are due to happen, but contingency plans that don’t have unfairness for some baked into them will also be needed.

Lecturers call for college places to be expanded

The University and College Union, which represents lecturers at FE colleges, has called for more funding to support extra places next year, so that students still waiting for BTec results do not miss out.

Jo Grady, the union's general secretary, said: “If we see a similar increase in BTec pass rates as we have seen in GCSEs then many more students will be able to go to college.

"The government now needs to commit to increasing funding and capacity so that no student is left behind and so colleges can safely welcome students in the middle of a pandemic.”

BTec results have been delayed by exam board Pearson - although some students have received provisional grades - in an attempt to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by GCSE and A-level students receiving higher, centre-assessed grades.

But it means BTec students may have to wait longer to confirm their place at sixth form, FE college or university in a year when courses are likely to be oversubscribed.

Watch: 'We still did the work'

GCSE results: Smiles for students at Portsmouth school

Students at Mayfield School in Portsmouth have been opening their GCSE results in the most disrupted academic year in UK history.

"We still did the work for what we got," one student says, while another says she found the past week "so scary".

Another smiling teenager adds: "We didn't expect to not take our exams but it's worked out quite well, in the end."

College's apprenticeship opportunities cut in half

BBC

Apprentices in Gloucestershire are facing a bigger challenge than ever, with the number of placements on offer at one college halved this year.

Principal of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, Sara-Jane Watkins, said the lack of opportunities is forcing many students to change their plans.

“At the start of the new academic year we usually have at least 500 new starts on the apprenticeship programme.

“At the moment we are expecting half of those due to a lack of employment opportunities. For those young people, everything they have been working towards, their hopes, aspirations and opportunities, have been taken away from them,” she said.

Many of the apprenticeships have been withdrawn because businesses are struggling financially, but social distancing is also an obstacle.

Dave Merrett, of Merrett’s Heating Services in Stroud, said they wouldn’t have an apprentice for the first time in eight years.

“We go into peoples’ houses all the time. They can go into five houses a day and with contamination, wearing masks and extra people in houses - it’s just not viable for us,” he said.

How the grades compare to last year

BBC

Grades for the "class of Covid" are higher than last year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Data in England shows the proportion of entries receiving the top grades (that's 7 to 9, equivalent to an A or above) has jumped to 25.9%, up by 5.2 percentage points from 20.7% in 2019.

In Wales 26% of results were at grade A*or A - up from just over 18% in 2019, and in Northern Ireland, 37.1% of pupils achieved grade A* to A - up by 5.7 percentage points on last year.

'The U-turn was for the best'

BBC

Harriet was relieved after seeing her grades this morning

At Bexleyheath Academy in London, parent Heather Dockerill said the results system could have been managed better: "These kids have been through hell."

But her daughter Jess said that, in the end, she was relieved to have got the grades she needed for sixth form.

Another student, Evie, 15, agrees it's been a challenging year, but but she's "over the moon" with the results.

"My hard work has paid off so there's a sense of relief."

Cory, 16, who did both GCSEs and BTecs said he was proud of his grades.

"2020 has been unfortunate, but I feel like I've made the best of the situation and I've stayed happy for the whole year."

Meanwhile, Harriet, 16, was relieved when her GCSE grades came through. "I honestly don't think I could have been happier with the results.

"The U-turn was for the best."

Graeme Napier, principal of Bexleyheath Academy, said it was great to see happy students.

"It's reassuring that the awarding bodies have agreed to look at the results again - the important thing is that students get the results they deserve."

Five tips to look after your mental health

PA Media

Young people's normal schooling has been severely disrupted

"Uncertainty" is a word we've heard a lot this past week, as students describe some of the effects that the coronavirus pandemic and exam chaos has had on them.

There can also be a toll on your mental health.

GP Dr Radha Modgil from BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks has shared her five tips for students, what she calls the "five Ps".

• Process your feelings. Talk to someone about your feelings, she says. "Write them down, let them out, don't keep them inside because that's super important for our mental health. So process those feelings in whatever way you can"
• Be proactive. "Contact your school, your college. Try to find out information, try to reach out for support from people who can help you. Make a plan, make a strategy"
• Preserve your emotional energy. "By that I mean, go out for a run, go for a walk, listen to some music, do the hobbies and things that make you feel good"
• Persevere. "Stay determined, look at your goals see how you can reach them and keep going because you will get there"
• Be proud. "You've gone through so much, the last few months, few weeks, few hours, even the last few minutes. Take a minute to stop and be proud of what you've managed to do just to get here. Whatever your exam results have been, this has been so challenging and I think every single student deserves to be proud of themselves today."

Meanwhile, experts from charity Mind in Lancashire have shared some tips on how to look after your mental health during the exam results period.

Their tips include taking a moment to breathe, don't compare yourself to others and, again, talk about how you're feeling.

For advice generally on how to look after your mental health in the pandemic, click here.

Reality Check

Were children from poorer backgrounds at a disadvantage?

Nick Gibb said the algorithm "did not disproportionately affect young people from disadvantaged backgrounds"

Schools minister Nick Gibb told the BBC that the heavily criticised algorithm that originally decided student’s A-level and GCSE grades did not “disproportionately disadvantage” children from poorer backgrounds.

The algorithm – a type of maths calculation - led to private schools receiving a 5% increase in top A-levels in the original set of results, compared with just 2% in comprehensives and 0.3% in colleges.

So how could the calculation lead to such differences?

One likely reason is that private schools are more likely to have smaller year groups.

The algorithm was designed to downgrade (or upgrade) teacher’s estimated grades based on a school’s performance in past years. This would mean that roughly the same proportion of students would receive the top grades as in previous years.

However, the algorithm did not give as much weight to that factor when dealing with year groups of 15 or less.

Because teacher’s estimated grades tended to be more generous than a pupil might actually perform in schools, it gave an unintended boost to independent schools.

It could also work the other way. If a deprived school historically underperformed, a particularly talented bright year group might be negatively impacted by that fact. This is because they are partly being compared with the performance of previous years.

Labour says minister's defence 'not true, not honest'

Labour’s Kate Green says exam issues are 'utterly unfair' to students

Shadow education secretary Kate Green has rejected a minister's claim that, despite warnings given to the government weeks before, the algorithm did not unfairly downgrade poorer students.

She told the BBC that it had been shown that private schools with smaller classes received a disproportionately large boost to A and A* grades at A-level while poorer students were more likely to be marked down from their teacher-assessed grades.

Earlier, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the model intended to be used for grading was "robust" but the application in practice "gave rise to problems". The government and Ofqual had investigated warnings that disadvantaged students would be penalised by the algorithm and found that it was not the case, he said.

Ms Green said his defence was "not true, not honest and it is utterly unfair to those young people".

Preventing grade inflation was "the only thing driving the government instead of what they should be thinking about, which is the best interests of young people", she said.

Pupils 'ecstatic' with top marks

Ysgol y Grango

Simu Umama and Helin Topal have received top marks

Two pupils at Ysgol y Grango school near Wrexham said they were ecstatic and proud after receiving straight A*s and As in their GCSE results.

Simu Umama, who will now study A-levels in history, biology and government and politics, said she had been nervous about problems with the algorithm before the Welsh Government's decision to award centre-assessed grades.

“I’m feeling ecstatic. I feel relieved and I’m proud of myself," she said.

"This last five months I’ve been hopeful because I was happy with my predicted grades but then obviously I got quite nervous with what was happening with the algorithm, but it all turned out great in the end.”

Helin Topal added: “I’m feeling really proud of my results. I did better than I thought I would.

"Obviously we didn’t get chance to sit the exams so I didn’t really know what I would get."

Helin will now study A-levels in psychology, criminology, health & social care and public services.

Watch: 'I wasn't good at exams anyway'

Students at a school in Bexleyheath, part of a generation to have the most disrupted exam year in UK history, shared their reactions as they collected their grades.

Most seemed happy with the centre-assessed grades they were awarded, after an algorithm to calculate results was scrapped. "I wasn't very good at exams anyway," said one.

GCSE results day: Students react to grades

Almost nine out of 10 GCSEs in NI get A* to C grade

Robbie Meredith

BBC News NI Education Correspondent

BBC

There has been a significant rise in the number of top GCSE grades in Northern Ireland.

Grades A*-A were awarded to 37.1% of entries, up from just under a third of entries in 2019.

Almost nine in every 10 (89.4%) entries were awarded A* to C grades, up from 82.2% in 2019.

A body representing some school leaders has called for an immediate independent review of the process for awarding exam grades this year.

The GCSE results have been issued just days after the Education Minister Peter Weir said they would be solely based on grades provided by schools.

Mr Weir also made a similar decision on A-Level and AS grades, which had already been awarded to students.

Revised A-Level and AS grades will now be made available to affected pupils on Friday.

Lunchtime round-up

EPA

Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland saw grades rise after governments scrapped a flawed algorithm

If you're just joining us on your lunch break, here's a quick look at what we've learned so far on this year's GCSE results day:

• After the most disrupted academic year in UK history, GCSE results in England have risen sharply, with 78.8% of entries achieving a grade 4 pass or above. It comes after the government abandoned a flawed algorithm and awarded grades assessed by teachers
• In Wales, grades also rose with almost three-quarters of entries gaining an A* to C grade
• Northern Ireland saw almost nine out of 10 (89.4%) entries awarded A* to C grades, up from 82.2% in 2019

• BTec students in vocational and technical subjects may receive their results next week, the schools minister suggested, after their exam board dramatically withdrew results last night to ensure they were fair after the change for GCSEs and A-levels. Some students are receiving provisional results which could be revised upwards
• Limits on the number of university places to study medicine, dentistry and veterinary science have been lifted, the government said. They said all students achieving their required grades at A-level will be able to attend their first choice university this year or next, although concerns about funding remain
• Schools Minister Nick Gibb apologised to students for the "pain" caused by this year's grading system and admitted that the government had been warned that using its algorithm could be unfair. But Mr Gibb said the regulator had reassured him that poorer students would not be disadvantaged
• Scotland's Conservative leader Douglas Ross refused to back Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, saying he should "reflect" on why he did not act earlier when problems emerged north of the border. Asked whether he should resign, Mr Ross said: "That is a decision for Gavin Williamson."

Analysis: Reopening schools is the next big challenge

Bethan Lewis

BBC Wales Family & Education Correspondent

For those students in Wales who now have their GCSE grades there is certainty, after the ups and downs since last week's A-level results day.

As expected, the all-Wales picture shows a big increase in results at GCSE and A-level now they are based on teachers’ assessments.

Working out what that will mean for fairness for next year’s pupils will form part of an independent review.

Speaking at a school in the Vale of Glamorgan this morning, the Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams said governments across the UK had tried their best to make the right decisions about exams.

But the analysis of what went wrong will have to start as attention turns to the next big challenge – reopening schools fully in a fortnight’s time.