The 2026 National Reference Test results are out. They show a long-term trend of slightly improved attainment in GCSE maths, but not in English language. To ensure standards are maintained, we told exam boards to take the NRT results into account when setting some GCSE maths grade boundaries. Here we explain what that means.
More than 5.7 million GCSE results have been issued to students in England today, along with more than 374,000 results for level 1 and 2 vocational and technical qualifications. This year’s GCSE results are stable overall in comparison with those in 2025. Small variations are normal from year to year and from subject to subject.
When we think about qualifications it’s tempting to focus on what they contain: the subjects, the assessments, the grades. But before that, do we really understand what the qualification is for? New research from Ofqual examines this question and sets out a detailed framework for what we call 'purpose analysis'.
We have issued the first Chief Regulator's Rebuke – a new enforcement tool introduced last October as part of a significant update to Ofqual's Supporting Compliance and Taking Regulatory Action policy. The rebuke has been issued to WJEC, following serious failings involving 4 of its Eduqas GCSE, AS and A level qualifications between 2019 and 2025.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are now part of daily life for most young people. Students use them to brainstorm, research, summarise and write. However, AI should not be used to generate coursework without proper disclosure. This is cheating, and the consequences, which can include losing a qualification entirely, are serious.
Ofqual has published new research exploring artificial intelligence’s potential role in marking, as well as its current capabilities and constraints. Rather than providing definitive answers, the published working paper offers an overview of the topic, shares our current thinking, highlights …
As teachers, you know better than anyone that GCSEs, AS and A levels are high-stakes qualifications that shape young people's futures. Every decision about how these exams are delivered must start with one question: is this fair for students? That's …
Back in July we withdrew our official statistics on access arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels covering 2014 to 2024, after identifying significant issues with how data had been recorded and reported. Today we are pleased to be following …
More than 5.6 million GCSE results have been issued to students in England today, along with more than 368,000 results for level 1 and 2 vocational and technical qualifications taken alongside them. These results enable young people to progress to …
As we close in on the ninth summer of awarding GCSE grades 9 to 1, we can say they aren’t quite so ‘new’ any more. And yet we still see thousands of visits every month to our explainers on the …
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