It occurs after students learn this year's results, which indicate that their grades decreased from the previous year. It was anticipated that the percentage of highest scores would decline when overall exam results returned to what they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Students who were taking exams in the years after the epidemic were given prior notice of the subjects of the tests as well as additional support.

On Thursday, around 32,000 students in Northern Ireland will get their exam results.

According to statistics, 31% of students in 2019 received a grade of A or above, up from 30.5% in the pre-pandemic period.

Meanwhile, around 34.5% of GCSE entrants in 2023 received grades A* or A.

The number of applicants for GCSE credentials has also gone up, rising from 168,118 in 2023 to 175,555 this year, a 4.4% rise.

82.7% of students obtained grades of C and higher, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications, which is "similar to the 82.2% awarded in 2019."