The gap between boys’ and girls’ GCSE results has narrowed to its smallest recorded level, with girls continuing to outperform boys but by a reduced margin. According to data released this week, 24.4 percent of girls received a grade 7 (roughly equivalent to an A) or higher, down slightly from 24.5 percent last year. Meanwhile, the proportion of boys achieving top grades rose from 19.4 percent to 19.6 percent, marking their best performance since 2011 when excluding the pandemic years. This has brought the gender gap in top grades down to 4.8 percentage points, the lowest recorded since at least 2000.

Pass rates, defined as achieving at least a grade 4 (equivalent to a C), have similarly narrowed, with girls’ lead falling from 6.2 percentage points last year to 5.8 points in 2026. Nonetheless, overall pass rates have remained largely stable compared to pre-pandemic levels, standing at 67.3 percent this year, nearly identical to the 2019 figure.

Despite these improvements in narrowing the gender gap, concerns remain over a decline in pass rates for core subjects. In English, the pass rate has slipped marginally from 60.2 percent to 60 percent, while maths saw a more pronounced decrease from 58.3 percent to 57.3 percent. Declining performance in these subjects is partly attributed to record numbers of older students resitting exams, with pass rates for this group falling significantly—for example, only 16.5 percent of those aged 17 and over passed their maths resits.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell has pledged to reform the system surrounding GCSE resits, describing the current approach as “pernicious.” Under proposed changes, students who score grade 2 or below in English or maths would be directed towards new Level 1 qualifications designed to demonstrate literacy and numeracy skills to employers and colleges before being allowed to retake GCSE exams. Students achieving a grade 3, which is just below the standard pass, would continue to resit GCSEs directly. However, some education experts caution that introducing another qualification stage could discourage students and potentially increase the number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

Regional disparities in GCSE outcomes continue to widen. London remains the highest-performing area, with 28.6 percent of entries awarded top grades, while the North East lags behind at 17.7 percent. The 10.9 percentage point gap between these two regions is the largest recorded since 2010. This divide has been linked to factors including the success of ethnic minority pupils, who make up a significant proportion of London’s secondary school population and outperform white students nationally.

The narrowing gender gap at GCSE mirrors recent trends at A-level, where boys have overtaken girls for the second consecutive year in top grades, leading by 0.9 percentage points. Experts attribute some of this shift to worsening mental health and increased absenteeism among girls, issues that have been exacerbated since the pandemic. Girls are more likely than boys to report mental health challenges, problematic social media use, and sleep deprivation, all of which may affect school engagement and attainment.

While the overall number of students achieving the highest grades has increased slightly, with 22 percent of entries awarded a grade 7 or above this year (up from 21.9 percent in 2025), concerns remain about persistent inequalities and the challenges faced by both boys and girls in different aspects of their educational attainment.