UK Exam Top Grades Stay Above Pre-Pandemic Levels for Fifth Year

UK GCSEs — exams taken at age 16 — saw 22% of students earn top grades in 2026, 1.2 points above the 2019 level of 20.8%, per The Guardian. Regulators wanted grading back to 2019 standards after Covid-era teacher assessments inflated results. That gap has persisted for years, suggesting the system has settled higher than intended.