More students than ever in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have achieved top GCSE grades, which have been set by teachers for the second year running

No exams were held because of the pandemic and the school closures which followed.

Across England, almost 29% of entries received one of the top marks, up 2.7%, while girls have once again outperformed boys overall.

In London, the number kids getting the top grades rose by 3%, but the number of pass grades didn’t even rise a percentage point.