we were the final year to not do formal exams, so it was quite a push, really. there is a wider plan to bring grades back to pre pandemic levels after a spike of good results through 2020 and 2021. this year, the overall pass grade has dropped a percentage point from last year, standing atjust over 97%. but the drop in top grades is being felt more keenly in england, showing a disparity between the nations. top grades in england are only about 1% higher than before the pandemic. unlike in wales and northern ireland, where they are still 7 8% higher. but 0fqual has reassured students there is protection built into the grading process even if they didn t perform as well in their exams. we worked hand in hand with universities over a two year period, to make sure students would be treated fairly. universities are used to working with 700 different