This statistical release focuses on the GCSE results of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) attending state-funded schools in England. This provisional release includes pupil characteristic breakdowns such as disadvantage status, free school meal status, special educational needs status and ethnicity.

In 2022/23 there was a return to pre-pandemic standards for GCSEs, AS and A levels, with protection built into the grading process to recognise the disruption that students have faced. For VTQs that are taken alongside, or instead, of GCSEs and A levels, there was also a return to pre-pandemic standards in 2022/23. More information on qualification grading approaches in 2023 and in 2022 can be found at Exam results 2023: 10 things to know about GCSE, AS and A level grades - The Ofqual blog and Vocational and technical qualifications grading in 2023 - The Ofqual blog and Ofqual’s announced approach to grading assessments in summer 2022.

The KS4 performance measures reported in this release, and on the performance tables website, for the 2022/23 academic year have been affected by the following factors:

• The return to pre-pandemic grading in 2022/23, with some protections.
• 2022/23 performance measures may include some qualification grades that were awarded in 2021/22 using a different grading approach.
• Results achieved between January 2020 and August 2021, by pupils included in 2022/23 measures, are not included in the calculations.
• The ongoing uneven impacts of the pandemic on different schools/colleges and pupils.