GCSE results day 2024 LIVE as thousands of students in Greater Manchester receive their grades

GCSE students across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are collecting their results this morning. Teens will discover whether or not they got the grades they needed to study for their chosen A levels, T levels, BTEC or get an apprenticeship.

This year youngsters faced more competition for sixth form and college places due a rising number of 16-year-olds in the population, according to education leaders. It has also been warned that this year's cohort of young people receiving their results have had to overcome a series of challenges in their secondary schooling following the pandemic.

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “The students who are getting their results have had a rough ride. Year 7 is always a big year for young people making that transition from primary to secondary and obviously their first couple of years in secondary school were really disrupted with lockdowns and remote learning and all the things that came with it.

READ MORE: Faces of Greater Manchester students getting their GCSE results 20-years ago

“They went through Covid and we’ve then had the cost-of-living crisis and all of the problems that have come with that. They’ve had some real challenges in their secondary school career.”

The grading system for GCSE results were revamped back in 2017 and now use a numbered system, replacing the traditional A* to G letter results. If you took your exams before that year you may be a bit confused as to what the numbers mean and the equivalent letter.

According to Ofqual the bottom of a grade 7 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade A. The bottom of a grade 4 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade C and the bottom of the new grade 1 is comparable to