GCSE Results 2025: Information For Teachers And School Leaders

GCSE results 2025 are some way ahead, but as usual, Third Space Learning is here to guide you through the exam season. Here, we will update you with information on GCSE results day, particularly, what the picture looks like for the maths exams.

This blog will be updated regularly over the coming months into next year as new information about the 2025 GCSE results becomes available.

Results in this blog refer to maths GCSE results in England. They do not cover results in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, GCSE English language or literature, sixth form A-levels or Btec level 3 results.

When is GCSE results day 2025?

GCSE results day 2025 for the summer exam series is on Thursday 21st August 2025.

READ MORE: GCSE dates 2025

GCSE Revision Lists Foundation & Higher

Download these revision lists to support your students and their revision. Includes dedicated Foundation and Higher lists, with links to our collection of free downloadable resources!

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GCSE MATHS 2025: STAY UP TO DATE

Join our email list to stay up to date with the latest news, revision lists and resources for GCSE maths 2025. We’re analysing each paper during the course of the 2025 GCSEs in order to identify the key topic areas to focus on for your revision.

Thursday 15th May 2025: GCSE Maths Paper 1 2024 Analysis & Revision Topic List
Wednesday 4th June 2025: GCSE Maths Paper 2 2024 Analysis & Revision Topic List
Wednesday 11th June 2025: GCSE Maths Paper 3 2024 Analysis

Find all the information you need on the maths GCSE 2025 dates.

GCSE exams 2025

For the first time in four years, GCSEs return to their full 2019 format with no advanced information and no formula sheets in the exams.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic and up to last year, 2024, 16-year-olds sitting their GCSEs had access to formulae sheets in maths exams saving the time spent memorising formulas.

However, come 2025, GCSE students no longer have access to these materials, in line with changes to the grading system.

READ MORE: GCSE Maths Grade Boundaries

GCSE results 2024

GCSE results 2024, released on Thursday 22nd August 2024, were largely comparable to 2023 and remained higher than pre-pandemic results. However, there were small fluctuations on the 1+, 4+ and 7+ GCSE grade boundaries across all exam boards compared to GCSE results 2023.

READ MORE: GCSE 2025 Key Dates

Analysis of GCSE maths papers in 2024 

The maths GCSE results 2023 saw a drop in the proportion of grade 4 and above grades to 72.3%. This figure bears resemblance to pre-pandemic levels, such as the 2019 results figure of 71.5%. There was a higher proportion of top GCSE grades (5-9) and a lower proportion of lower grades (1-4) in comparison to 2019.

Overall, the GCSE results 2024 saw the rate of those achieving a 4+ standard pass grade increase by 0.1 percentage points to 70.4% for 16-year-olds in England.

However, it was down slightly (by 0.4 percentage points to 67.4%) when considering all ages in England, including those resitting and private entries.

READ MORE:

• Analysis of GCSE maths topics from 2017 to 2023 GCSE Foundation papers
• Analysis of GCSE maths topics from 2017 to 2023 GCSE Higher papers
• GCSE maths 2024: Summary of all papers (Foundation and Higher)

Other GCSE results

GCSE results 2023

The GCSE results 2023 results last year were down on 2022, but remained higher than 2019, the last set of pre-pandemic results. In 2023, GCSE grade boundaries across each awarding exam board reverted to the pre-pandemic format, offering little additional protection from any disruption to students’ learning. Consequently, GCSE results in 2023 were lower than in 2022 due to the pre-pandemic grading.

The maths GCSE results 2023 saw a drop in the proportion of grade 4 and above grades to 70.3%. This figure resembles pre-pandemic levels, such as the 2019 results figure of 71.5%. There was a higher proportion of top GCSE grades (5-9) and a lower proportion of lower grades (1-4) in comparison to 2019.

READ MORE: GCSE 2023 dates

GCSE results 2022

The GCSE results 2022 saw lower results for young people than the previous two years, as expected. However, these figures remained higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 results. 2022 results were deemed a ‘midpoint’ between 2019 and 2021.

For sixteen-year-olds sitting the exams, 75.3% of all GCSEs across all subjects and ages were awarded a grade 4 (pass mark) or above. 

GCSE results 2021

In 2021, teachers awarded grades as opposed to examiners, based on what grade they believe a student would have earned if they had sat the exam. Teachers used mock exams, in-class tests and other non-exam teacher assessments to assess students’ performance.

Exam results in 2021 were even higher than in 2020, with the rate of students achieving 7 and above rising to 28.9% in 2021, from 26.2% in 2020. The rate of those who earned a 4 and above rose to 77.1% in 2021 up from 76.3% in 2020.

GCSE results 2020

In 2020, Ofqual developed an algorithm designed to assign GCSE grades. Centre assessments were to be put through the model which used schools’ past performance and expected national outcomes to ‘standardise’ grades. The exams regulator offered protection to students that accounted for disruption to their learning.

In response to controversy over how a similar model had down-graded A-Level results, the government scrapped this plan three days before announcing GCSE results. Instead, results instead came from students’ centre assessment grade or calculated grade, whichever was higher.

In 2020, the proportion of GCSE candidates receiving the highest three grades rose from 21.9% in 2019 to 27.6% in 2020. Students achieving a 4 or above rose from 70% to 79% in England. In maths, the proportion of students who gained a 7 and above rose from 20% to 24%, and those who gained a 4 and above rose from 71.5% to just above 77%.

When are resits?

For students who did not score as high as they had hoped, there is a possibility to resit their GCSE exams. Maths and English resits take place in November of 2024. Retakes for other exams are during the 2025 summer exam season.

This is not a review of marking, students who meet entry requirements for resits will retake the required GCSE exams.

Concerned about GCSE results in 2024?

You don’t need to be. Third Space Learning is here to help you deliver the best outcomes for your students, whatever your resources.

The most effective way to do this is with our online, one-to-one GCSE revision tuition. Students spend time with a dedicated tutor to develop the skills needed to answer GCSE exam questions.

Programmes are personalised to each student and designed to help individuals working toward grade 7 to grade 3 in maths.

Free GCSE maths revision resources

For a wider, whole-school approach, explore the extensive library of free secondary maths resources. Download GCSE maths worksheets, GCSE maths past papers, GCSE maths questions and GCSE maths revision lessons to help familiarise students with the type of materials covered in the exams.

For those worried about the impact of GCSE exams on students mental health, take a look at the advice for dealing with exam anxiety.