Infographics for GCSEs, 2021 (accessible)
Published 12 August 2021
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2021
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GCSEs in 2021, all entries in all subjects, England only, 16-year-olds
Total GCSE entries for 16-year-olds this year was 4,810,000 compared to 4,730,000 in 2020.
Grades achieved this year:
- 30.0% achieved grade 7 or A and above compared to 27.5% in 2020
- 79.1% achieved grade 4 or C and above compared to 78.8% in 2020
Average number of GCSE qualifications per student
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.09 | 7.90 | 7.84 | 7.85 |
GCSEs taken and grade 9s in 2021, England only, 16-year-olds
Number of GCSEs taken by 16-year-olds
| Number of GCSEs taken | Number of students | percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7,200 | 1.2 |
| 2 | 10,750 | 1.8 |
| 3 | 9,400 | 1.5 |
| 4 | 10,150 | 1.7 |
| 5 | 17,200 | 2.8 |
| 6 | 48, 450 | 7.9 |
| 7 | 101,800 | 16.6 |
| 8 | 150,500 | 24.6 |
| 9 | 165,950 | 27.1 |
| 10 | 78,850 | 12.9 |
| 11 | 12,450 | 2.0 |
| 12+ | 400 | 0.1 |
| Total | 613,100 | 100 |
Numbers of students have been rounded to the nearest 50. Because of roundings percentages may not add up to 100.
All grade 9s in all subjects taken
| Number of GCSEs taken | Number of students |
|---|---|
| 7 | 287 |
| 8 | 469 |
| 9 | 1,058 |
| 10 | 1,454 |
| 11 | 322 |
| 12 | 16 |
| Total | 3,606 |
Of the 3,606 students achieving all grade 9s, 36% were boys and 64% were girls.
Those with straight grade 9s in reformed subjects - does not include any student who got less than a grade 9 in any reformed subject.
GCSE grades 7 or A and above from 2019 to 2021 by region, England only
| Region | 2019, percentage | 2020, percentage | 2021, percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 16.4 | 22.0 | 24.5 |
| North West | 18.6 | 23.5 | 25.9 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 17.8 | 22.3 | 24.4 |
| West Midlands | 18.1 | 23.0 | 25.3 |
| East Midlands | 18.3 | 23.0 | 25.1 |
| Eastern | 20.5 | 25.9 | 28.5 |
| London | 25.7 | 31.4 | 34.5 |
| South East | 23.5 | 29.0 | 31.9 |
| South West | 20.4 | 26.1 | 29.1 |
GCSE grades 4 or C and above from 2019 to 2021 by region, England only
| Region | 2019, percentage | 2020, percentage | 2021, percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 63.8 | 73.8 | 75.5 |
| North West | 64.9 | 74.2 | 75.0 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 64.1 | 72.6 | 73.5 |
| West Midlands | 63.8 | 73.3 | 74.3 |
| East Midlands | 65.8 | 74.9 | 75.4 |
| Eastern | 67.1 | 76.2 | 77.1 |
| London | 70.6 | 79.0 | 79.7 |
| South East | 70.2 | 78.2 | 79.3 |
| South West | 68.3 | 77.6 | 78.6 |