Major change coming to GCSE Results Day 2025 - here's what you need to know

• Nearly 100 thousand GCSE candidates will be able to get their exam results in a different way this year

• The Government is running an expanded trial of an app which could eventually roll out nationwide

• The move could save schools both money and workBut pupils will still be able to have the traditional results day experience if they wish

GCSE results day is changing and moving into the modern era this summer.

As the 2024/25 GCSE exam season kicked off this week, with exams ending in late June, a major transformation has been announced on how students can find out their results. 

Candidates will then face a tense two-month wait until their grades are announced on results day, which falls on Thursday, August 21 this year.

The Department for Education (DfE) has this week announced an expanded trial of an app called ‘Education Record’, which will allow pupils to find out how they did in their exams digitally this summer. Education Minister Stephen Morgan said that the plan is eventually to roll it out nationwide, with the move expected to save schools money - and claw back time pupils spent gathering and sharing important documents.

“It is high time exam records were brought into the 21st century, and this pilot will allow schools and colleges to focus on what they do best: teaching the next generation rather than being bogged down in bureaucracy,” he said in a statement.  

But what will results day look like this year for pupils taking part in the trial, and what could Education Record eventually mean for schools, families, and GCSEs candidates? Here’s what we know so far:

It is worth noting that the app rollout is still a trial at this stage, so will only be available to about 95 thousand pupils across Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. But the Government says that it eventually has plans for a full, national rollout. 

On results day itself, pupils taking part in the trial will still be able to go to their school in the morning to pick up their results envelope if they wish. But the Education Record app will also publish their results digitally, meaning they don’t necessarily have to. They will also have a virtual copy of their exam certificate. 

Most schools and colleges open to students wanting to pick up their GCSEs at around 8am, while the app will publish results a little later in the morning - around 11am.

 Besides the changes to the results day process itself, the Education Record app will be useful to students in the future too. DfE says it can be used when applying for further education, apprenticeships and even employment - “saving time scrabbling around for documents”.

  It is also expected to save schools and colleges up to £30 million per year once the full roll out is complete, the Department said, enough money to pay the salaries of more than 600 new further education teachers. 

The Hathershaw College, in Oldham, Greater Manchester, took part in an initial DfE trial last summer. Principal Mark Giles said that the app could even help cut back the workload for school staff. 

“The feedback from students and staff was very positive as the education record was accurate, verifiable and could be presented to providers without delay,” he continued. “We believe this will reduce administrative burdens on schools, and in the future could also be utilised by parents of younger children to support transition from primary to secondary school.” 

Of course, a move to receiving results digitally may also mean pupils no longer have to be physically present to pick them up. This could be helpful for families wanting to make the most of the summer break for trips and holidays, before their children head back to school for the new year.