More than 32,000 GCSE students in NI prepare to receive exam results

By Rebecca Black (PA)

Thousands of GCSE students across Northern Ireland are preparing to receive their exam results.

Some 32,018 in the region will access their grades on Thursday morning following assessments in the first full year without exceptional arrangements since before the coronavirus pandemic.

Following several years of disruption and interim arrangements, this year has been described as marking the completion of the transition from measures put in place during the pandemic – such as the cancellation of exams, reduced assessment criteria and generous grading.

Exam board CCEA has indicated that grades awarded this week will be lower than during the pandemic years, but directly comparable to those issued before 2020.

Last week, just over 26,000 students in Northern Ireland received A-level and AS-level results, with almost a third receiving a top A/A* grade.

This 30.3% was similar to the rate achieving A/A* grades in 2019 (29.4%), but down on the 37.5% rate in 2023 when some mitigations remained in place.

Pupils sitting exams (Photo by PA)