In England, many students who do not secure at least a grade 4 in English and/or maths at GCSE are required to retake the subjects during post-16 education.
NI students celebrate GCSE results despite uncertainty around grade levels witneygazette.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from witneygazette.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
At private schools, 46.6 per cent of students achieved the top grades at GCSE - at least a 7 or an A - this year, which was down 6.5 percentage points on last year s 53.1 per cent.
Experts said students in Britain had faced disruption from Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, with a disproportionate impact on those from disadvantaged backgrounds.