London and South East see largest regional drops in GCSE pass rate
This is the highest for any region in England, but down nearly a full percentage point from 72.5% in 2024.
In south-east England the proportion has dropped from 70.4% to 70.0%.
Most regions have seen a drop in the standard pass rate this year, though by a smaller margin.
For example, in the West Midlands the figure has fallen from 63.1% to 62.9%, the lowest for any region in England, while neighbouring East Midlands is down by just 0.1 percentage points from 65.1% to 65.0%.
Only one region saw a clear year on year increase in entries receiving a grade 4 or above: eastern England, up from 67.9% to 68.0%.
Four regions saw a greater proportion of entries awarded 4 or above than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019: eastern England, north-east England, London and south-west England.
London is also the region with the highest proportion of entries awarded the top grades of 7 or above, at 28.4%, down slightly from 28.5% in 2024.
North-east England had the lowest regional percentage at 17.8%, unchanged from last year.
These regions have recorded the highest and lowest proportion of entries getting the top grades in each of the past three years, but the gap between them has narrowed over that period, from 10.8 percentage points in 2023 to 10.7 points in 2024 and 10.6 this year.
The gap remains wider than before the Covid-19 pandemic, however, when it stood at 9.3 points in 2019.
It is also wider than at any point in the pre-pandemic period back to at least 2009, when the earliest archive data is available, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
London is one of three regions to see a year-on-year drop in entries receiving top grades, along with south-east England (down from 24.7% to 24.6%) and the East Midlands (from 18.3% to 18.1%).
The East Midlands is the only region where the proportion of entries awarded 7 or above this year, 18.1%, is lower than the equivalent figure in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (18.3%).
At a national level, 31.6% of entries in Northern Ireland received grade 7/A or higher, above the equivalent figure for England (21.8%) and Wales (19.5%).
For entries awarded 4/C or higher, Northern Ireland was ahead at 83.5%, some way above England (67.1%) and Wales (62.5%).
Here are the percentages of GCSE entries awarded the top grades of 7 or higher, by nation and region, in 2025, with the equivalent figures for 2024 and the pre-pandemic year of 2019:
– North-east England 17.8% (2024: 17.8%; 2019: 16.4%)– North-west England 18.8% (2024: 18.6%; 2019: 18.6%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 18.4% (2024: 18.3%; 2019: 17.8%)– West Midlands 18.5% (2024: 18.5%; 2019: 18.1%)– East Midlands 18.1% (2024: 18.3%; 2019: 18.3%)– Eastern England 22.2% (2024: 21.4%; 2019: 20.5%)– South-west England 21.4% (2024: 21.2%; 2019: 20.4%)– South-east England 24.6% (2024: 24.7%; 2019: 23.5%)– London 28.4% (2024: 28.5%; 2019: 25.7%)– England 21.8% (2024: 21.7%; 2019: 20.7%)– Wales 19.5% (2024: 19.2%; 2019: 18.4%)– Northern Ireland 31.6% (2024: 31.0%; 2019: 30.5%)– All 21.9% (2024: 21.8%; 2019: 20.8%)
Here are the percentages of GCSE entries awarded 4 or higher, by nation and region:
– North-east England 64.9% (2024: 65.2%; 2019: 63.8%)– North-west England 64.2% (2024: 64.2%; 2019: 64.9%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 63.6% (2024: 63.9%; 2019: 64.1%)– West Midlands 62.9% (2024: 63.1%; 2019: 63.8%)– East Midlands 65.0% (2024: 65.1%; 2019: 65.8%)– Eastern England 68.0% (2024: 67.9%; 2019: 67.1%)– South-west England 69.1% (2024: 69.1%; 2019: 68.3%)– South-east England 70.0% (2024: 70.4%; 2019: 70.2%)– London 71.6% (2024: 72.5%; 2019: 70.6%)– England 67.1% (2024: 67.4%; 2019: 67.1%)– Wales 62.5% (2024: 62.2%; 2019: 62.8%)– Northern Ireland 83.5% (2024: 82.7%; 2019: 82.2%)– All 67.4% (2024: 67.6%; 2019: 67.3%)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
36 minutes ago
- BBC News
Warwick school shuts sixth form admission to GCSE pupils
Teenagers celebrating their GCSE results have been told the sixth form at their Warwickshire school is shut to School has suspended recruitment for students hoping to join the Year 12, it has confirmed.A "lack of applications" has been cited as the reason for the move, in a statement released by the head teacher at the school in Tapping Way, preparing for their second year in the sixth form have been told they will are unaffected by the issue. Head teacher Peter Gilbride said the school is in talks with Warwick's Myton School, which is set to offer courses to many of the affected Year 11 pupils."Over the next year, we will relaunch and rebrand our Sixth Form in the hope of being able to run a viable Sixth Form in the future," said Mr school recently launched a sports scholarship in honour of former pupil student and England footballer, Jess Carter. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Nerves and joy as GCSE results roll in across West Country
A nerve-wracking wait for exam results has finally come to an end for thousands of West Country students. Year 11 pupils filed into school halls to find out how they fared, with more than 5.6 million grades issued across the country. Nationally grades were slightly down on 2024, with grading returning to pre-pandemic the excited pupils was Bridgwater Academy student Jessica, who uses a wheelchair and told the BBC she had chosen to pursue a sports studied GCSE "because I really like proving people wrong". She said it was a "struggle" to find the right sports that were allowed as part of the GCSE assessment, but that did not stop her from achieving top marks. "I had a couple of people say that they didn't think I'd be best suited for the subject and that just made me all the more determined to do it," she said. "I worked incredibly hard because if I was going to prove them wrong I was going to do it all the way," she added. Over in Gloucestershire, Gloucester Academy pupils Edwina and Tadiwa said they were "just so happy" with their results. Having both joined in Year 9 after moving to the UK from South Africa and Italy respectively, said that preparation for their exams was "very different" to what they had seen in their former schools. "There was a cultural and a language barrier, which was so different, but I felt so welcome and honestly I wouldn't have been able to do it without my teachers so I'm really happy," Edwina said. Their joy was echoed by 16-year-old Katie, who received her results at Sir Bernard Lovell Academy in Oldland Common, Bristol. She said she hoped to go to Hartpury College to study a Level 3 National Extended Diploma in football, adding: "There's lots of options and careers paths in it, whether it's playing, coaching, analysis or the business side of it." Meanwhile classmate Devyn said she was planning to do an apprenticeship in technical engineering, having been inspired by the growing movement for women on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)."It's so important," she said, adding that her parents were "so impressed" by her results. And after achieving top marks in her exams at the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy in Wiltshire, Year 11 pupil Taylor said she felt a step closer to her dreams of becoming a doctor. "[It was] a lot of revision, a lot of stress but it all paid off in the end," she said."It's nerve-wracking, not knowing what you're going to get but I did really well and I'm really proud of myself."
Glasgow Times
4 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Lady Iman primed for Nunthorpe challenge
It was after the talented daughter of Starman had impressed in her first three outings that O'Callaghan first suggested taking on her elders on the Knavesmire and now with the Group One assignment coming into view, connections are determined to keep their feet firmly on the ground. O'Callaghan said: 'I said to Ger Lyons on June 28 in the parade ring before the race she got beat in that the race for Lady Iman is the Nunthorpe. A first winner at the Qatar Goodwood Festival for trainer Ger Lyons! It's a treble on the card too for Ryan Moore as Lady Iman shows her class in the £100,000 Group 3 HKJC @WorldPool Molecomb Stakes — Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) July 30, 2025 'I kind of had it in my head that five furlongs was her bag and then when she went to Goodwood, she proved she's good at it (in winning the Molecomb Stakes). 'We're looking forward to it, but we've enough going on to keep us busy and most of the time you would think you'll get beat, don't you? 'Prepare yourself for the worst and hope for the best is what they say. It's just nice to be good enough to compete in the race, even if the trainer didn't really want to and as we've said before, we'll have a go.' Kingsgate Native was the last two-year-old Nunthorpe winner in 2007 while The Platinum Queen was runner up in 2022, with both horses having been sold by the O'Callaghan family's Tally-Ho Stud. O'Callaghan added: 'It's kind of cool to be having a go at the Nunthorpe with Lady Iman and we actually sold Kingsgate Native to Anthony Bromley and John Best at Doncaster, while the last two-year-old to run well in the race was The Platinum Queen and we sold her too, it's a race we like.' Asfoora is a seasoned campaigner in Britain now (David Davies/PA) Australian ace Asfoora finished fourth in the race 12 months ago and is back for another crack after unplaced runs at Royal Ascot and Goodwood so far this summer. 'I think we're in good shape heading into York and we've been happy with her the last few weeks after Goodwood,' said trainer Henry Dwyer. 'I know she didn't run as well as we had hoped at Goodwood and I think that was more based on the track conditions. We were thinking about scratching there but we knew we needed to run to get her ready for York and she came through it well. 'We thought she was a bit flat after Ascot so had to back off her a little bit heading into Goodwood and then the rain came. She ran and only got beat two and a quarter lengths with things against her but with things in her favour on Friday, I think she will go really well.' The winner of Asfoora's last outing in the King George Stakes was John and Sean Quinn's reopposing Jm Jungle, while second at Goodwood was Jack Davison's She's Quality, who has been knocking on the door with regularity this term. Jm Jungle (centre, green silks) edged out She's Quality at Goodwood (Andrew Matthews/PA). 'I keep telling myself her turn will come soon and we've been working towards this big one and let's just hope it goes to plan on Friday,' said Davison. 'She's got tremendous raw speed and it's going to be fast and furious up the Knavesmire, but we're really looking forward to it.' Arizona Blaze, the Commonwealth Cup second who impressed at the Curragh last time, is a third Irish-trained contender for in-form trainer Adrian Murray. 'We couldn't be happier with the horse he's in great order and he's drawn in mid-division so he'll have options in the race,' he said. Arizona Blaze (right) scorching to victory at the Curragh (Niall Carson/PA) 'Without doubt he's ready and he's done everything well for us up to now. He will have to step up again you would think, but there's no time like the present. He's been a star for us and has won well on quick ground in places like the Breeders' Cup so it's all systems go.' Second to Arizona Blaze in the Sapphire Stakes was Mgheera, who excelled earlier in the season and is one of two in the mix for Ed Walker alongside last year's Lowther Stakes scorer Celandine. 'It looks the perfect set-up for Mgheera and I think she has slightly gone under the radar having only run the once at the Curragh since winning the Temple Stakes,' said Walker. 'She will love the fast ground and has been training very well. 'It will be very interesting coming back to five furlongs with Celandine, but I'm looking forward to trying it and I think she will cope with it.' Group Three glory for Sayidah Dariyan @yorkracecourse 👇🏻 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 11, 2025 Course winner Sayidah Dariyan represents Richard Hughes in a race he famously claimed with Oasis Dream and Sole Power as a jockey. Philip Robinson, racing manager to owner Jaber Abdullah, said: 'I'm very keen on her and I love this filly. For me, I think she could end up the best sprinting filly in the country. 'She got the track experience at York last time and we know that will suit and Ryan Moore is on board so she ticks a good few boxes.'
