UK GCSE top grades remain stuck above pre-pandemic levels for fifth year

UK GCSE top grades (7/A and above) held at 22% in 2026, 1.2 points above the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline of 20.8%, according to The Guardian. Regulators had aimed to return grading to 2019 standards after Covid-era teacher assessments inflated results. That gap has now persisted several years, suggesting the system has settled at a higher equilibrium than intended.