UK GCSE Top Grades Stay 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 baseline of 20.8%, per 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.