Over 29,000 students across Northern Ireland received their GCSE results today (Thursday), with a higher percentage of A* to C grades than last year.
The results from the local examinations body, the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), were based on the estimates provided by schools and colleges, as announced earlier this week, by the Education Minister Peter Weir.
This year's outcomes increased across all grades. 37.1% of students achieved grade A* to A, a 5.7 percentage point increase on last year.
The proportion of students receiving A* to C grades increased by 7.6 percentage points to 89.4%. There was also an increase in the A* - G pass rate of 0.9 percentage points to 99.7%.
Both male and female outcomes increased across all grades this year. At the A* grade, there was a 2.9 percentage points increase for males and 5.5 percentage points increase for females.
There has been an increase in GCSE English Language and Mathematics outcomes, however, there was a slight decrease in entries for STEM subjects, with a 0.7 percentage point decrease to 41.4%.
RELATED: NI students: Is U-turn decision on A-levels and GCSEs too little too late?
In GCSE English there was an increase of 6.3 percentage points across A*- C Grades, with 87.2% of students achieving these grades.
GCSE Mathematics saw a 6.9 percentage point increase at A* - C Grades, from 72.3% in 2019 to 79.2% in 2020.
Minister Weir said: “I wish to congratulate all the young people who have received their GCSE results today. These outcomes reflect the assessments made by the people who know you best, your teachers.
“I appreciate the past few months have been particularly challenging but our young people have demonstrated a determination not to let this pandemic put their lives on hold. Today, they have been awarded qualifications which reflect their hard work and will enable them to move forward confidently with their future plans.
“Teachers and school leaders had a very difficult job to do and I want to express my appreciation for their hard work and commitment to their students in challenging circumstances.”
