Map of GCSE (9 to 1) grade outcomes by county in England

This interactive map displays the distribution of GCSE (9 to 1) grades by subject across English counties from 2018 to 2024.

Click on a map tile or select a county to display more information. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile devices, or arrow keys on desktops.

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Note: Only subjects with grades awarded to more than 2,500 students are included.

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Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2024.

The map shows the distribution of GCSE full-course grades awarded in England by subject, county and year. The map covers the summer exam series that took place in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018. The map may be filtered to display grades awarded at specific thresholds (e.g. grade 1 and above) and by student age. There is also an option to view subject uptake. Subject uptake shows how many results were awarded in the selected subject, compared to the overall number of results awarded across all subjects within each county.

The counties presented are the ceremonial counties of England as defined by the Lord Lieutenancies Act 1997. The map does not show individual Local Authorities. The Greater London ceremonial county also includes the City of London. An Ordnance Survey OpenData map dataset was used to define the county boundaries on the map.

Grading is continuing as normal in summer 2024 following the return to pre-pandemic standards in summer 2023. Further information is available in the Ofqual guide for schools and colleges, the Ofqual student guide 2024 and our news story on summer 2024 grading.

In 2020 and 2021, when GCSE, AS, and A level exams did not go ahead because of the pandemic, national results were higher than prior to the pandemic. National results were also higher than pre-pandemic in 2022 when grading was at a midway point between summer 2019 and summer 2021. The return to pre-pandemic grading in summer 2023 meant that national results were similar to pre-pandemic years and were lower than in summer 2022. Further information is available on the Ofqual website.

For most subjects listed, you can choose to see results for either all students, or just students aged 16 (typically the age when GCSEs are taken). For English language and mathematics, you can filter results to show all students, students aged 16, or students aged 17 to 19. Subject uptake results are shown for all students.

The subjects shown are GCSE subjects for which at least 2,500 students received results in summer 2024. The 'All subjects' category only includes subjects meeting this threshold of 2,500 students. In the 'All subjects' category, combined science results are split into two results. For instance, a result of 9-9 counts as two 9 grades, while 9-8 is recorded as one grade 9 and one grade 8. GCSE reforms were introduced in stages, so if a subject is missing in a particular year, it indicates that it had not yet undergone reform at that time.

The "select view" radio box lets you choose how the map displays data for each subject: either by 'Grade outcomes' or 'Subject uptake.'

• Grade outcomes: the map shows how many results were awarded at the selected grade threshold, as a percentage of all results awarded in the chosen subject across different counties
• Subject uptake: the map shows how many results were awarded in the selected subject, as a percentage of all results awarded across all subjects within each county

The different colors on the map show the range of percentages for subject uptake or grade outcomes under the currently active selection of filters. This means the range displayed in the map legend and map tiles is based on the minimum and maximum percentage at the specific combinations of subject, student age and year. The colours shown in the legend and map tiles range from dark blue, representing lower percentages, to orange, representing higher percentages.

When you click on any county on the map, a pop-up box will appear. This box provides detailed information about the county based on the options you have selected, such as the year, subject, grades, and students. It also lets you compare the county's figures with the overall figures for England.

The information displayed in the pop-up box varies depending on whether you are viewing 'Grade outcomes' or 'Subject uptake.'

• Grade outcomes pop-up box will show:
  • The total number of results awarded in the county for the selected subject and age group.
  • The percentage of those results that were awarded for the selected grade in the county.
  • The percentage of results awarded for the selected grade across all of England.
• Subject uptake pop-up box will show:
  • The total number of results awarded in the county for the selected subject.
  • The percentage of results in the county that were awarded for the selected subject, relative to all subjects.
  • The subject's rank in the county based on the number of results awarded.
  • The subject's rank across England for the same metric.

For instance, in 2018, there were 7,525 results awarded in English language to 16-year-old students in Norfolk. Of those 7,525 results, 2% were grades 9. In comparison, the proportion of 16-year-olds who achieved grade 9 in English language in England was 2.6%.

We use rounding wherever it is needed to make sure that our data does not reveal the identity of an individual or any private information about them.

For data in the 'Grade outcomes' view:

• Numbers are rounded to the nearest five. If fewer than five results were issued for the selected subject, student age group, and grade threshold combination, it is displayed as "fewer than 5".
• The total number of results for a subject is also rounded to the nearest five, so there may be small differences when adding up these rounded numbers.
• Percentages are calculated based on these rounded figures, which means they might not always add up to exactly 100%.
• Any combination of grade thresholds, subjects, and student ages with fewer than 25 results in a county is shown as "fewer than 25".
• A value of "0" indicates that no students of the selected age achieved that grade or result for that subject in the selected county.

For data in the 'Subject uptake' view:

• Results for each subject in each county are rounded to the nearest five.
• Percentages are calculated using these rounded numbers and the rounded total.
• If fewer than 25 results were awarded for a subject within the selected county, it is shown as "fewer than 25".
• A value of "0" means that no students in the selected county received results for that subject.

We are publishing this data in the interests of openness and transparency and so that schools, policymakers, and other stakeholders can access this data in an interactive manner and explore grade outcomes in England and across counties.

Data is supplied to Ofqual by examination boards near to results day. At the point in time Ofqual receives the data, all certificates and entries may not have been fully processed. Additionally, the data do not reflect changes to grades that may occur after results.

If you are using a laptop or desktop computer, you can scroll up, down, left, and right using the arrow keys. You can also move the map by holding the left mouse button and dragging. If you are on a mobile or a tablet, you can scroll the map using two fingers.

The ‘reset view’ button will reset the zoom and map location to the default zoom level and a centered location within the map panel.

You can use the zoom bar on the left-hand side of the map to zoom in or out. You can also center and zoom in to a location of your choosing by double-clicking on the location (or double-tapping if you are using a mobile or a tablet). You can focus the map to a specific county by either selecting from the "Search for county" drop-down menu, or searching by typing the county name inside the drop down box.

For any feedback on these graphs, please contact [email protected].

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