Celebrating GCSE, BTEC and Cambridge IGCSEs Results Day 2025
Most disrupted transition of any generation
This year’s cohort, students who began their secondary schooling in autumn 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, faced perhaps the most disrupted transition of any generation. Their Year 6 SATs were cancelled, repeated lockdowns fractured their start to secondary life, and many experienced long absences from school. As the BBC’s coverage on the morning of results day August 21 noted, many more pupils in this cohort missed at least 10 per cent of schooling compared to pre-pandemic years. Against this backdrop, their achievements today carry even greater weight.
Praise for students’ “grit, determination and resilience”
Education leaders have been quick to commend the fortitude of the 2025 cohort. Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said students had shown “grit, determination and resilience” during uniquely challenging times. “They had to face many issues that other year groups will never have to face,” he told BBC Radio 4, pointing to the lack of support secondary schools could provide during lockdowns.
Former Ofsted chief inspector Baroness Amanda Spielman echoed this, describing England’s education recovery as a “real success story.” While acknowledging that English results remain slightly behind pre-COVID levels, she highlighted strong performance in maths, where students are now doing “as well or better” than they were before the pandemic. She also praised the achievements of minority ethnic pupils in England, who perform at levels equal to or above their white British peers – an outcome that remains unusual internationally.
GCSE results 2025
Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, results this summer have largely stabilised at pre-pandemic levels. According to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), 67.2 per cent of entries in England were awarded grade 4 or above, broadly in line with 2024 and just below the 2019 figure. Outcomes at grade 7 and above remain steady at 21.6 per cent, also close to pre-pandemic levels.
In Wales, 19.0 per cent of students achieved grades 7–9, while 62.1 per cent secured grade 4 or above. In Northern Ireland, outcomes were once again strong, with 82.6 per cent of entries at grade C/4 or above and 30.8 per cent at grade A/7 or above – marginally higher than in 2019.
These results show a system returning to stability after years of grade inflation under teacher-assessed marks during the pandemic, followed by a gradual realignment in 2022–24.
BTEC and vocational qualifications
Alongside GCSEs, today also marks the release of nearly 370,000 Level 1 and 2 vocational and technical qualifications, including BTECs and Cambridge Technicals. These provide vital routes for students whose strengths lie in practical and applied learning, opening doors into post-16 study and employment.
Construction, health and social care, and business remain among the most popular vocational pathways, with leisure, travel and tourism continuing to grow. A record number of students sat the reformed BTEC Tech Awards this summer, with outcomes comparable to last year. Cambridge International also reported strong IGCSE results globally, highlighting the increasing demand for international qualifications as students prepare to thrive in an interconnected world.
Rod Smith, Group Managing Director for International Education at Cambridge, reflected on the global context of today’s results in the TES, “In a time of uncertainty and transformation, the awareness and perspective that an international education provides is not just an advantage – it’s a necessity.” He added: “Congratulations to all those receiving Cambridge results this August. We are proud to support a global community of learners who are preparing not only for university and careers, but for life in a rapidly changing world.”
A widening disadvantage gap
Beneath today’s celebrations, however, lies an urgent challenge. Results data and expert analysis continue to highlight the persistent and, in some cases, worsening attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers.
A report from the Education Policy Institute think tank, highlighted in TES earlier this week, emphasised that disadvantaged white pupils in particular, continue to have “particularly poor outcomes.” The report found that white working-class boys remain the lowest-performing group in GCSE English and maths, trailing behind almost all other ethnic groups.
Speaking earlier this week to the Daily Telegraph, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson admitted that the system has “failed white working-class pupils”. She warned that four-fifths of children from working-class backgrounds were falling short of the English and Maths skills required to get on in life. Speaking to the TES, she said, “It is simply unacceptable that a child’s background continues to dictate their life chances,” she said, promising reforms to address attendance, literacy, and access to high-quality teaching.
Baroness Spielman suggested on BBC Radio Four that while schools play a key role, part of the problem lies in wider societal attitudes. “Children go to the same schools,” she said. “So, when white children consistently underperform, that suggests some of the issue rests with parents and communities, and the incentives around valuing education.”
Regional disparities
As with last year’s A-level and GCSE results, regional disparities remain stark. Pepe Di’Iasio noted that outcomes were often strongest in London and parts of the South East. At the same time, regions such as the North East and Yorkshire showed weaker results, reflecting both pandemic disruption and longer-term inequalities.
Persistent absence continues to be a major driver. Many students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have not returned to full attendance since COVID, a trend flagged repeatedly by school leaders. The think tank analysis echoed this, urging the government to address attendance as a national priority, alongside radical reform of the special educational needs (SEND) system, which remains under severe pressure.
Looking ahead
Today’s results are a moment of pride for students and their families. The 2025 cohort has overcome unique obstacles, from disrupted transitions to remote learning and emerged stronger for it. Yet, the celebrations must also prompt reflection.
England’s education system can point to genuine successes: stabilised results, global leadership in maths, and internationally strong outcomes for ethnic minority pupils. However, significant challenges persist, particularly in addressing the persistent disadvantage gap, enhancing attendance, and reforming support for SEND and mental health.
A balanced picture
The story of the 2025 results, then, is one of resilience and recovery. This generation has proved itself capable of rising above extraordinary challenges. Yet, as both government ministers and independent experts acknowledge, the system remains far from equitable.
For students, today is about celebrating what they have achieved, the first step in exciting new journeys. For policymakers, educators and communities, it must also be a reminder that education is a long game: twelve years of daily attendance, support, and opportunity. Ensuring every young person sees value in that journey will be essential if future results days are to be celebrated equally across every region and community.
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