The GCSE pass rate across England, Wales and Northern Ireland slipped to 67.4 % of entries awarded at least a grade 4 or C, marginally below last year’s 67.6 %, according to provisional national data released on results day. The outcome is the second set of exams marked fully to pre-pandemic standards, following two years of teacher-assessed grades that temporarily inflated results. Performance in key subjects was particularly weak. The maths pass rate fell to 58.3 %, its lowest level since 2013, while English also recorded one of the sharpest declines of the past decade, the Telegraph reported. Top grades remained above 2019 levels but continued the gradual retreat from the peaks seen when exams were cancelled during the pandemic. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that four in five white working-class students still lack the English and maths proficiency needed “to get on in life,” underscoring concerns about widening attainment gaps. Former Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman and Association of School and College Leaders representative Pepe Di’Iasio added that lingering Covid-19 disruption had hindered pupils’ progress, calling for targeted support as sixth-form colleges brace for a bulge in student numbers.