In Northern Ireland, the number of students receiving the highest GCSE grades has seen a continued decline, returning to pre-COVID-19 standards for the first time. More than 32,000 Northern Irish students, typically aged 16, collected their GCSE results on Thursday. Only 31.7% of students achieved an A/7 grade or higher, compared to the 34.5% recorded in 2023 and the 30.5% in 2019. At the C/4 level, 82.7% accomplished this achievement this year, relative to 86.8% in 2023 and 82.2% in 2019. An exhaustive 99.2% of students received a G/1 grade or higher. This marks the first year GCSE students sat standardised exams after a hiatus due to the pandemic. A-level results released the previous week revealed a similar trend. Female students prevailed over their male counterparts with 36% securing an A/7 grade or higher and 85.2% a C/4 grade and above. This is in contrast to the 25.7% and 80% respectively of male students who achieved the same. There was a 4.4% surge in GCSE entries this year, aligned with Northern Ireland’s growing school populace. Roughly 41.5% of all GCSE entries were in the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths). Northern Ireland’s examination board chief executive, Gerry Campbell, from CCEA, extended his congratulations to the students receiving their results. “These achievements underline the dedication and effort of students over the last two years as well as throughout their academic journey. This day marks a pivotal moment as pupils progress onto the next phase, be it further education, training or employment,” he stated.