Year-on-year comparisons are useful but easy to misread. Here are the traps to avoid.
Comparing results across years is useful but needs care. 2022 was a transitional grading year (positioned between 2021 and pre-pandemic standards), so 2022→2023 changes aren’t a normal trend. Watch too for cohort size, the mix of ages (all-age vs 16-year-olds for GCSE resits), provisional vs final data, and the difference between percentage-point and percentage changes.
Five things to check before drawing a conclusion: (1) is 2022 in your comparison? treat it as exceptional; (2) has the cohort grown or shrunk? (3) are the figures all-age or age-16/18? (4) are they provisional or final? (5) is a change quoted in percentage points or as a percentage? - a move from 20% to 22% is 2 percentage points but a 10% relative increase.
A fall from 2022 to 2023 usually reflects the planned return toward pre-pandemic grading - not a collapse in performance.
Grading in 2022 was deliberately set between the more generous 2021 arrangements and pre-pandemic standards, as a transition. Source: Ofqual ↗
Not directly. Exams were cancelled both years: 2020 used centre-assessed grades and 2021 used teacher-assessed grades, so outcomes ran well above exam-based years and aren’t a like-for-like comparison. Source: Ofqual ↗
Yes, especially for GCSE English and maths, where post-16 resits are included in all-age figures. Outcomes for 16-year-olds alone can differ. Source: Ofqual ↗
A rise from 20% to 22% is 2 percentage points, but a 10% relative increase - be clear which you mean.
Compare a subject across years, with the 2022 caveat built in, or benchmark your own cohort.
Compare years →Benchmark your class →Last checked August 2026. This is a plain-English summary of official guidance; always check the linked Ofqual, JCQ and exam-board pages for the definitive rules, which can change.
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