Rebekah Wilson
Reporting from Abbey Community College, County Antrim, NI

Image source, Lily Shek

Hewis had a busy few months in the lead-up to his exams, juggling revision with helping his mum in her Chinese restaurant.

Speaking after getting his results at his school in County Antrim, Hewis says he feels “pretty good today as the hard work paid off".

Hewis’s mum adds: “I am so proud, I’m so busy and Hewis is always by himself. He goes to school and then works in the restaurant and here he has done everything, and passed, so he can go and do his A-levels.”

Labour have been quick to respond to figures showing the regional divide in this year's GCSE results in England (outlined in our previous post).

Shadow Schools Minister Stephen Morgan says today's results are proof that "the government’s levelling up agenda has failed".

The political policy aims to reduce the imbalances between areas and social groups across the UK - including in schools.

"Children in disadvantaged communities aren’t going to do as well as children in more affluent areas," Morgan adds in his statement, "and that’s the legacy of 13 years of Conservative government."

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Overall, 26.5% of this year's GCSE grades in England were marked at 7 or above - but the proportion varies depending on where you live.

In London, it was 28.4%. In the North East, it was 17.6%.

The north-south divide existed before the Covid pandemic, but the gap between the regions with the highest and lowest proportions of top grades has grown from 9.3 percentage points in 2019 to 10.8 percentage points this year.

Commenting on A-level results last week, the Sutton Trust said the divide reflected "patterns of regional prosperity". Pupils also experienced different amounts of Covid disruption, depending on how their part of the country was affected.

MPs have warned it could take a decade for the gap between disadvantaged pupils and others to narrow to what it was before the pandemic.

That’s the end of our YQA, thank you for sending so many interesting questions for our panel to answer.

Huge thanks to our experts for taking the time out of a busy morning to join us, we hope their answers have been helpful.

There’s plenty more information across our website, including:

• A full guide to GCSE and other Level 2 results
• How the GCSE grading system works
• What are T-levels?
• How to choose the best apprenticeship for you

And on this page we're going to continue bringing you analysis and reaction to today's GCSE results, so stay with us.

Vanessa Clarke
Education reporter

This is a bit of a bonus question which came our way yesterday via a TikTok live, hosted by our education correspondent Hazel Shearing.

The National Career Service says it is usually free to retake your exams the year after you get your results. Although you may need to pay if you attend a private or independent school.

For maths and English, you must resit if you fail in order to progress and this happens in the autumn or summer.

Talk to your school or college if you want to retake an exam or assessment. There are more details about the process here, external.

If you decide to do an online course or study through a private centre, you will have to pay. That kind of exam can cost anywhere from £35 to £100+ and you will also have to pay course fees.

What if my child doesn't get the grades for their chosen college?published at 12:12 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

12:12 BST 24 August 2023

Richard Brennan
Assistant principal, Walsall College

Sue has asked what happens if her daughter doesn't get the required admission grades to do her chosen course at college. Particularly as there will only be a few days between getting her exam results and her scheduled induction day.

Don’t panic!

The college will most likely have an alternative course for your daughter to do in the same subject - perhaps one that can fit around her having to retake some GCSEs such as English and maths.

It will also likely have staff on hand from GCSE results day who you and your daughter can talk to, so you should have time to choose the right course and enrol before induction.

Why are certain subjects compulsory?published at 12:06 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

12:06 BST 24 August 2023

Paul Grainger
Honorary Senior Research Associate, UCL

As with a number of our questions, this one also came on Instagram.

It is fundamental to the UK education system that students receive a good grounding in essential subjects.

The national curriculum specifies a careful balance between basic subjects, which are necessary for all citizens, such as maths, and elective subjects that reflect individuals interests.

So, by age 16, students should be competent in the skills necessary for life, and also reflect future aspirations.

After GCSE, the emphasis is much more on individual career intentions.

If you fail English and maths, do you have to retake Year 11?published at 12:00 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

12:00 BST 24 August 2023

Richard Brennan
Assistant principal, Walsall College

This is another question that's come from one of our BBC News Instagram followers.

It is worth clarifying what the word "fail" means here. Usually, this means someone hasn't managed to get a grade 4 or higher (A* to C in old money).

A grade 1 to 3 is technically a pass but will be seen as a fail, according to these measures.

Around a third of the grade distribution for both GCSE English and maths are typically at grade 3 or lower.

If you don’t achieve a grade 4 or more in GCSE maths, English language or literature, you won’t have to retake the whole of Year 11 but you will have to take a qualification in that subject - depending on which you got a 3 or lower in - alongside your next course.

This will continue until you achieve a grade 4 GCSE, or Functional Skills Level 2, or reach the age of 19.

What do GCSE grades mean?published at 11:53 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

11:53 BST 24 August 2023

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Many of you have been asking this question on social media - and we can see it's being Googled a lot, too.

In England, GCSEs are graded using numbers rather than letters.

The highest grade is 9, and 1 is the lowest. The number scale doesn’t directly match up to the letters used in Wales and Northern Ireland - which used to be used in England, too - apart in from a few places:

• the bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade A
• the bottom of grade 4 is aligned with the bottom of grade C
• the bottom of grade 1 is aligned with the bottom of grade G
• three number grades - 9, 8 and 7 - correspond to the two previous top grades of A* and A

Check out our guide to the grading system for more info, including on where to find specific subject and paper grade boundaries for the 2023 exams.

Is it possible, or fair, to shift grade boundaries?published at 11:43 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

11:43 BST 24 August 2023

Richard Brennan
Assistant principal, Walsall College

Trevor, a retired administrator in St Albans, is “bemused” by the idea of moving grade boundaries to bring down grade inflation, particularly in science subjects where answers are either right or wrong.

He asks: “Is it possible or fair to shift grade boundaries in subjects such as maths and physics?”

Qualifications that include exams go through an awarding process that sets the grade boundaries. An awarding committee for each exam will look at the data about:

• the relative strength of the entrants (based on Key Stage 2 data, proportion of resits and prior performance)
• the difference in the perceived difficulty of the exam (whether there were any questions that were just too easy or hard)
• the impact of moving the boundary on the proportion of those achieving the grade.

If the cohort is perceived to be stronger and this is reflected in the performance on the paper, exam boards can increase the number getting higher grades.

Do GCSEs matter for university?published at 11:36 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

11:36 BST 24 August 2023

David Seaton
Admissions director, University of Bedfordshire

This question has also come from our BBC News Instagram followers.

If you're considering going to university, it's important to keep in mind that GCSEs are a key component of your academic profile.

While most universities will look at A-levels or equivalent qualifications when setting their standard entry requirements, GCSEs and other Level 2 qualifications are still very important. They give admissions officers a broader understanding of your academic profile and can be reviewed if there were any issues that had an impact on your A-level results.

Additionally, many courses across the UK require specific GCSE grades in addition to A-levels or their equivalent. For instance, if you're interested in nursing, most universities require specific GCSE grades in particular subjects.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Christine asks: Why do schools have such a rigorous process for collecting evidence for predicted grades, if it can't be used in the appeals process?

You're right that schools and colleges in England have been asked to collect a lot of evidence of how well you've done throughout this year.

But the point of that wasn't so that it could be referred to in an appeal process.

Rather, it was collected just in case exams were cancelled because of Covid this year, and evidence was needed to give everyone teacher-assessed grades again.

That obviously hasn't happened. It was a back-up measure.

Ofqual has said it's exams and formal assessments that give you the "fairest chance" to show what you know.

What options are available to students after GCSEs?published at 11:18 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

11:18 BST 24 August 2023

Dr Rebecca Montacute
Head of Research & Policy, Sutton Trust

This one's been sent to us via Instagram, too.

A range of options are available for students post GCSE, including A-levels for those interested in academic pathways - to T-levels, BTecs and apprenticeships for young people interested in more vocational pathways with direct links to the workplace.

Students also have options on where they study for post-16 qualifications. Some students will be able to continue in their current school, whereas others may go to a different school, or sixth form college.

Take a look at these links for more information:

• What are T-levels?
• How to choose the best apprenticeship for you
• Looking ahead at university and the costs

How do resits and remarks work?published at 11:08 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

11:08 BST 24 August 2023

Richard Brennan
Assistant principal, Walsall College

This is another question that's come in to us from an Instagram follower.

For resits, you retake the GCSE in November – results come back in January. Some organisations will only enter you for a resit if you were close to the grade 4 boundary. The thinking behind this might be that any more than one grade’s improvement is unlikely in the short space of time, and you would be better off studying the subject and retaking in the normal exam season.

Remarks are where you ask the exam board to check the accuracy of the original result. You have to bear in mind that a remark can come back higher or lower than the original mark. Remarks are typically carried out by a more senior examiner and are usually done as a whole paper. There may be an advantage from this as the examiner gets used to your handwriting or way you express yourself as they go through the paper.

What happens if you fail everything?published at 11:01 British Summer Time 24 August 2023

11:01 BST 24 August 2023

Jo Fellowes
Careers Adviser, National Careers Service

The first question kicking off our session comes from someone who got in touch with BBC News on Instagram. So, what happens if you fail everything?

It may feel like the end of the world, but it’s not, you have options, you just need a new plan.

Talk to people, your school, or careers adviser to get some immediate support. If you have applied for a course, contact the sixth form or college as there may be some flexibility or alternative course options to consider.

You could explore other study options or combine study with work with a T-level or apprenticeship.

You could also resit your exams next summer or in the autumn (maths and English only) or request a remark, remembering that this can result in your grade going down as well as up!

There are timeframes involved so speak to your school or college to discuss resits, remarks, and appeals process.

You can chat to a careers adviser who can talk you through all these different options and what might be right for you.

There's lots to consider for the hundreds of thousands of you getting exam results this morning. In a few minutes' time, we'll be putting questions to our panel of experts, which includes:

Hazel Shearing, BBC News education correspondent

Dr Rebecca Montacute, head of research and policy, Sutton Trust

Richard Brennan, assistant principal at Walsall College

Jo Fellowes, careers adviser, National Careers Service

What would you like to ask? You can get in touch in the following ways:

• Email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk, external
• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Upload your pictures and video
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay, external
• Please read our terms and conditions and privacy policy

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.

If you got a grade 3 or below in your maths GCSE you'll have to resit it, if you're under 18 and live in England. The same goes for English literature and language - you need to pass one of those two subjects.

On BBC Breakfast earlier, we asked education minister Nick Gibb whether more money will be allocated for resits, since the pass rate has dropped this year.

He says the compulsory retake policy for maths and English is "terribly important" and "will transform the lives of those young people" affected.

He says hundreds of thousands more 19-year-olds have passed GCSEs in those subjects since the policy was brought in.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, says there was "protection built into the grading process" so that you should have achieved the grades you would have done if the pandemic had not happened - even if you didn't perform as well in these exams.

GCSE papers in the same subject were spaced apart more than they were before the pandemic, allowing for rest and revision.

Students had formulae and equation sheets in some subjects, and were not tested on unfamiliar vocabulary in modern foreign language exams.

But, unlike in the rest of the UK, students in England were not given advance information about the topics on which they would be tested.

The Higher Education Policy Institute said last week that “England has probably got it wrong” by trying to get back to normal “too quickly”.

But Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, says it has worked closely with the higher and further education sector “to make sure they understood the arrangements in place”.

The Association of School and College Leaders has said the government must make employers aware that different year groups have been graded differently, so that they can take it into account when recruiting.

Image source, BBC/Becky Padington

There are lots of choices for what you can do now you’ve got your GCSEs.

Many students go on to study A-levels – and International Baccalaureate (IB) is also an option.

Vocational courses such as National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), BTec Level 3s, TechBacs and Cambridge Technicals are also very popular routes.

In England, T-levels are also an option and are a relatively new qualification. They last two years and are roughly equivalent to three A-Levels. They have been designed with employers to help prepare students for work in specific industries.

You could consider an apprenticeship too. Apprentices get paid a salary as they spend 80% of their time in the workplace, while being trained.

The National Careers Service, external has more information, and we have lots more detail in our apprenticeships and T-level guides.

Gareth Bryer
Reporting from Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham

Image source, Handout

Football teammates Milly and Alyssa, both 16, have been waiting for their results in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales this morning.

They were in Year 8 when the pandemic hit, but believe the impact has still had a significant impact on their exams three years later.

Exam were graded generously in Wales this year and so, as we've just heard from Hazel, results haven't fallen as steeply as in England. Students in Wales received advance information on what topics would come up in many of their exams this year - support that won't be in place next year.

Alyssa says that doesn't feel fair on her brother, who's one year younger, because "we all went through the Covid period together”.

Milly, meanwhile, says it's been a tough few weeks waiting for her results - saying that period has been "worse than doing the exams".

“It’s the thought that I can’t do anything to change the results and waiting helplessly – I find it really stressful," she says.