Three quarters of Year 12s achieve 5+ GCSEs including English and maths

Date published: 22 January 2026

New accredited official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Education present Year 12 and Year 14 examination performance in Northern Ireland at post-primary schools for the 2024/25 academic year.

Key findings

• In 2024/25, 74.5% of Year 12 pupils achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C (including equivalents) including GCSE English and GCSE maths, up from 73.3% in 2023/24.
• The proportion of Year 12 pupils in non-grammar schools achieving this standard increased to 60.1% from 58.4% in 2023/24. Grammar schools saw a slight decrease from 94.2% to 94.0%.
• 53.3% of free school meal entitled pupils achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C (including equivalents) including GCSE English and GCSE maths, up from 52.5% in 2023/24.
• Female pupils continued to outperform their male counterparts, with 76.3% of female Year 12 pupils achieving this standard compared with 72.7% of males.
• 71.9% of pupils in the final year of an A-level (or equivalent) course achieved 3 or more A-levels at grades A*-C, compared with 71.4% in 2023/24.

About this publication

The full statistical bulletin provides a detailed analysis of examination performance at Key Stage 4 (GCSE) and post-16 (A-level) by school type (grammar and non-grammar), sex of pupil, free school meal entitlement status and school management type.

Further information 

Read the full report: Year 12 and Year 14 Examination Performance at Post-Primary Schools in Northern Ireland 2024/25