Watch: Birmingham students react as they receive their GCSE results

Today (Thurday, August 24) is a highly anticipated and significant day in the academic journey - it’s GCSE results day. Students across the nation have been anticipating this moment for weeks. I’m here at  Sutton Coldfield College, which is part of BMet, speaking to students to see whether they achieved their desired outcome today.

Jayden says: “Well I got a grade 5 in my art, which I wasn’t really expecting to be fair. I honestly thought I was going to fail.  I didn’t really have much hope to be fair and to be fair it was really all thanks to my teacher really who kind of helped me get through it really because I suffer quite a lot with quite a lot of health issues and it was really all thanks to her that I really got through and had the confidence to even continue with my GCSE.“

Ethen says: “Well I got a grade 2 for English, a grade 1 for maths.  Not exactly what I wanted but at the end of the day I did what I could so, you know.  My ambitions are to eventually leave here and become an acting teacher.”

Diego says: “I got 4 in English and 5 in maths.  I’m really proud of me because two years ago I had 1 and 1 because the GCSE are really hard to do. Also with Covid and strikes it’s really hard to study and be focused on what you need to do.”

Daniel says: “I only retook English and I got a grade 5.  It was a re-sit. At first when I left school I kind of felt embarrassed to have to retake English but at least I’m safe now. I got a grade five which is just enough to get such jobs and courses.”

Izumrud says: “I want to go to college or sixth form. I want to get in and do A levels or T levels and I want to do psychology, sociology and law. “Georgie says: “I want to go back to sixth form and do law, history and English lit.”

Curtis says: “Today I got a 5/4 in science energy,  4 in business,  4 in maths,  7 in history,  6 in English language,  7 in English literature and then a 7 in religious studies and I’m happy with the results I got today and I’m hoping it will bring me closer to being able to do sports therapy.”

How did GCSE students across the West Midlands get on?

Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications show that the proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades has fallen from last year, but is higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic across the country.

More than a fifth (22.0 per cent) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades – at least a 7 or an A grade – this year, down by 4.3 percentage points on last year when 26.3% of entries achieved the top grades.However, this remains higher than the equivalent figure for 2019 – before the pandemic – of 20.8 per cent.

Overall, there were around 203,000 fewer top grades (7/A) compared with last year, but there were 142,000 more top grades awarded this year than in 2019.

In the West Midlands 18.4% of pupils got the top grades (7/a or above) - in 2022 there were 22.8% of pupils with top grades and in 2019 there was 18.1%.

The West Midlands is below the national average wtih 22% getting top grades. The region with the highest percentage of top grades is Northern Ireland where 34.5% of pupils achieved the highest level. London comes second with 28.4%. The lowest percentage of top grade acheivers is in the North East with 17.6%.