Hundreds of thousands of GCSE students in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are waiting for their results.

Results will be released on Thursday 20 August from 08:00 BST.

Here is everything you need to know about results, appeals and resits.

If you do not think your grade is right, you should first talk to your school or college.

It will contact the exam board on your behalf and ask for your marks to be reviewed.

If you still think you have been unfairly graded after a review, you can ask your school or college to appeal, external.

The exam board will consider whether a correction is needed.

If you are still not satisfied, you can request a review via your school from regulator Ofqual in England, the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland, or Qualifications Wales.

BBC Bitesize: Options if you're unhappy with your GCSE or Nationals results

Young Minds: Dealing with exam stress and disappointment, external

Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive their GCSE and BTec results

You can resit any GCSE exam the following academic year.

In England, students need maths and English GCSEs at grade 4 or above to qualify for further study - although you can prepare for resits alongside your new subjects.

The next set of resits for English and maths are expected to take place in November 2026.

If you want to explore resitting a subject, you should speak to your school or college about the best course of action.

GCSE results will be released on Thursday 20 August from 08:00 BST.

Students in England will be able to receive their results through the Education Record app, which allows grades to be delivered directly to their phones, from 11:00.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, results are usually distributed by schools and colleges.

In England, GCSEs are graded using a numerical system from 9-1, rather than A-E as was previously the case.

Students need 4 for a "standard pass" and 5 for a "strong pass".

In Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSEs are still graded using letters, unless an exam taken in those nations is managed by an English exam board.

Grade boundaries show the minimum number of marks you need for each grade, whether it is a number of letter.

They are decided by examiners and published on results day.

How have GCSEs in Wales changed?

BBC Bitesize: A parents' guide to managing results day

If you live in England, you must remain in official education or training until you turn 18.

You may choose to stay in full-time education, start an apprenticeship or work while studying part-time.

Many pupils go on to study A-levels. International Baccalaureate (IB), external is also an option.

There is also a range of vocational courses you could take, such as National Vocational Qualifications, external (NVQs), BTec Level 3s, external, TechBacs, external, Cambridge Technicals, external and (in England only) T-levels.

Apprentices get paid a salary, as they spend 80% of their time in the workplace while being trained.

What are T-levels and what are the grades worth?

What are BTecs and how are they graded?

What are apprenticeships and how do I choose a good one?

Scotland has a different qualification system, external, with Nationals instead of GCSEs and Highers, which are similar to A-levels.

Scottish students have been able to receive their results through an online app since 2019.

Results day in Scotland was on Tuesday 4 August 2026.

Are you waiting for your results? Do you have any questions for our panel of experts to answer on results day?