1. Key points
Given the alternative methods of awarding grades in 2019/20 and 2020/21, and the various assessment adaptations or other supports in place for 2021/22 and 2022/23, caution should be taken when drawing any conclusions relating to changes in student performance.
Year-on-year changes might have been impacted by the different processes for awarding qualifications in these years rather than reflect a change in underlying performance. As such, 2023/24 attainment levels have generally decreased since 2022/23, reflecting the return to pre-pandemic awarding arrangements.
At 87.4% in 2023/24, the proportion of school leavers achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent has decreased by 2.4 percentage points from 2022/23 (89.8%) but increased by 1.0 percentage point from five years ago (86.4% in 2018/19).
The proportion of school leavers achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths has decreased by 4.5 percentage points from 2022/23 (76.1%) but increased by 0.8 percentage points from 2018/19 (70.8%), to 71.6% in 2023/24.
The proportion of free school meal entitled school leavers (FSME) achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths has decreased by 4.7 percentage points from 56.5% in 2022/23 to 51.8% in 2023/24.
The proportion of school leavers achieving three or more A-levels at grades A* to C or equivalent was 38.5% in 2023/24, which is a decrease of 3.6 percentage points from 2022/23 (42.1%) and a decrease of 2.5 percentage points from five years ago (41.0% in 2018/19).
The proportion of school leavers continuing to Institutions of Higher Education has decreased by 1.7 percentage points, from 42.0% in 2018/19 to 40.3% in 2023/24. Overall, 95.9% of 2023/24 school leavers were recorded by their school as entering Education, Employment or Training.
2. Qualifications
2.1 Five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalent qualifications)
Percentage of leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalents)
2018/19
86.4%
2022/23
89.8%
2023/24
87.4%
At 87.4% in 2023/24, the proportion of school leavers achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent has decreased by 2.4 percentage points from 2022/23 (89.8%) but increased by 1.0 percentage point from five years ago (86.4% in 2018/19) (Table 11 and Figure 1).
Figure 1: Percentage of school leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalents), by pupil characteristic: 2023/24
As in previous years, the proportion of females leaving school with at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent remains higher than the proportion of males; 89.2% of females leaving school in 2023/24 achieved this standard compared with 85.7% of males (Table 1, Table 12, Table 13 and Figure 1).
The proportion of school leavers with a statement of Special Educational Need (Stage 3 of the SEN Code of Practice) who achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent was 71.4% in 2023/24, compared with 89.8% for those pupils with no SEN. 75.5% of pupils recorded as having SEN stages 1 or 2 achieved this standard (Table 10 and Figure 1).
Figure 2: Percentage of school leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalents), by school type: 2018/19, 2022/23 and 2023/24
The proportion of pupils leaving non-grammar schools who achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent, i.e. 81.0% in 2023/24, has decreased by 3.0 percentage points since 2022/23 when it was 84.0%. At 96.5% in 2023/24, the proportion of pupils leaving grammar schools who achieved this standard has decreased by 1.1 percentage points since 2022/23 when 97.6% of pupils leaving grammar schools achieved this measure (Table 1 and Figure 2).
The proportion of pupils leaving non-grammar schools who achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent has increased by 2.4 percentage points from 78.6% in 2018/19 to 81.0% in 2023/24. The corresponding proportion for grammar schools has increased slightly from 96.3% in 2018/19 to 96.5% in 2023/24 (Table 1, Appendix A and Figure 2).
2.2 Five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalent qualifications) including GCSE English and GCSE maths
Percentage of school leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalents) including GCSE English and maths
2018/19
70.8%
2022/23
76.1%
2023/24
71.6%
The proportion of school leavers achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths has decreased by 4.5 percentage points from 2022/23 (76.1%) but increased by 0.8 of a percentage point from 2018/19 (70.8%), to 71.6% in 2023/24 (Table 11 and Figure 3).
There is a 15.8 percentage point gap between the proportion of pupils achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths (71.6%) and the proportion of pupils achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent (87.4%) (Table 1).
Again, looking at the difference between these two indicators, 72.9% of Catholic pupils left school with at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths, while 88.6% left with at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent, a difference of 15.7 percentage points. The corresponding proportions for Protestant school leavers were 71.1% and 86.9%, respectively, a difference of 15.8 percentage points (Table 3, Table 9 and Figure 3).
Figure 3: Percentage of school leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalents) including GCSE English and maths, by pupil characteristic: 2023/24
Some 75.3% of females have achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths compared with 68.1% of males, a difference of 7.2 percentage points (Table 1, Table 9 and Figure 3).
In 2023/24, 41.6% (332) of Protestant males entitled to free school meals achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths compared with 53.2% (679) of Catholic males entitled to free school meals (Table 8). A lower proportion of Protestant males with entitlement to free school meals have achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths in 2023/24 than in 2022/23 (47.0%), representing a decrease of 5.4 percentage points. The corresponding measure for Catholic males with entitlement to free school meals has decreased by 2.0 percentage points from 2022/23 (55.2%) to 2023/24.
Similarly, 50.5% (395) of Protestant females entitled to free school meals achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths compared with 59.9% (874) of Catholic females entitled to free school meals (Table 8). When compared with 2022/23, a lower proportion of Protestant females entitled to free school meals achieved this measure (54.2% in 2022/23), a decrease of 3.7 percentage points. There was a decrease of 5.8 percentage points for Catholic females (65.7% in 2022/23) achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths.
The proportion of free school meal entitled school leavers achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths has decreased by 4.7 percentage points from 56.5% in 2022/23 to 51.8% in 2023/24 (Table 5 and Figure 3).
In 2023/24, 77.0% of school leavers not entitled to free school meals achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSEs in English and maths, while 51.8% of those entitled to free school meals achieved the same measure. This represents a gap of 25.3 percentage points (based on unrounded figures) between these two groups compared with a gap of 29.0 percentage points between these groups in 2018/19 (Table 5 and Figure 3). The gap of 25.3 percentage points in 2023/24 was a decrease of 0.5 of a percentage point from the gap in 2022/23 (25.8 percentage points).
Figure 4: Percentage of school leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C (including equivalents) including GCSE English and maths, by school type: 2018/19, 2022/23 and 2023/24
In 2023/24, 94.5% of grammar school leavers left with at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths, while 96.5% left with at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent, a difference of 2.0 percentage points. The corresponding proportions for non-grammar school leavers were 55.3% and 81.0%, respectively, a difference of 25.7 percentage points (Table 1 and Figure 4).
The proportion of pupils leaving non-grammar schools who achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths has decreased by 5.8 percentage points from 61.1% in 2022/23 to 55.3% in 2023/24. The proportion of pupils leaving grammar schools who achieved this standard has decreased by 1.5 percentage points from 96.0% in 2022/23 to 94.5% in 2023/24 (Table 1 and Figure 4).
Geographically, the data can be analysed in terms of the school leaver’s place of residence (Table 6). Analysis conducted using the 2014 Local Government District (LGD) boundaries showed an 11.8 percentage point difference between the lowest achieving LGD, which was Belfast (67.7%), and the highest achieving LGD, which was Lisburn and Castlereagh (79.5%), when comparing those leavers achieving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including GCSE English and maths.
2.3 No GCSEs/ No Formal Qualifications
More males (146) left school in 2023/24 with no GCSEs or equivalent qualifications than females (124), equating to 1.2% of all male school leavers and 1.1% of all female school leavers in 2023/24 (Table 1, Table 12 and Table 13).
When free school meal entitlement is considered, 2.0% (102) of those entitled to free school meals left without any GCSEs or equivalent qualifications compared with 0.9% (168) of school leavers who were not entitled to free school meals (Table 5).
The proportion of pupils who left school without any formal qualifications has increased slightly from 0.7% (2022/23) to 1.0% (2023/24). The proportion of males and females leaving without any formal qualifications in 2023/24 was 1.0% and 0.9%, respectively (Table 11, Table 12 and Table 13).
2.4 A-levels and equivalent qualifications
Percentage of school leavers achieving three or more A-levels at grades A* to C (including equivalents)
2018/19
41.0%
2022/23
42.1%
2023/24
38.5%
The proportion of school leavers achieving three or more A-levels at grades A* to C or equivalent was 38.5% in 2023/24, which is a decrease of 3.6 percentage points from 2022/23 (42.1%) and a decrease of 2.5 percentage points from five years ago (41.0% in 2018/19) (Table 1 and Table 11).
Percentage of school leavers achieving two or more A-levels at grades A* to E (including equivalents)
2018/19
55.6%
2022/23
56.2%
2023/24
53.8%
The proportion of school leavers achieving two or more A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent was 53.8% in 2023/24, a decrease of 2.4 percentage points since 2022/23 (56.2%) and a decrease of 1.8 percentage points from the 55.6% of school leavers achieving this measure in 2018/19 (Table 1, Table 11 and Figure 5).
Figure 5: Percentage of school leavers achieving two or more A-levels at grades A* to E (including equivalents), by pupil characteristic: 2023/24
Females continued to outperform males in terms of A-level qualifications achieved. In 2023/24, 45.5% of females achieved at least three A-levels at grades A* to C or equivalent on leaving school compared with 31.9% of males. Females (61.2%) also outperformed males (46.6%) in achieving two or more A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent in 2023/24 (Table 1, Table 12, Table 13 and Figure 5).
When religion of pupil was considered, 57.0% of Catholic school leavers achieved two or more A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent in 2023/24 compared with 50.7% of Protestant school leavers (Table 3 and Figure 5).
The proportion of pupils achieving at least two A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent was higher for those school leavers who were not entitled to free school meals (Non-FSME), i.e. 59.0%, compared with 34.9% of school leavers who were entitled to free school meals (FSME) (Table 5 and Figure 5).
Figure 6: Percentage of school leavers achieving two or more A-levels at grades A* to E (including equivalents), by school type: 2018/19, 2022/23 and 2023/24
The proportion of pupils leaving non-grammar schools who achieved at least two A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent has decreased by 2.2 percentage points from 37.2% in 2022/23 to 35.0% in 2023/24. The proportion of pupils leaving grammar schools who achieved this standard has decreased by 1.5 percentage points from 81.5% in 2022/23 to 80.0% in 2023/24 (Table 1and Figure 6).
The proportion of non-grammar school leavers achieving at least two A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent has decreased by 2.3 percentage points from 37.3% in 2018/19 to 35.0% in 2023/24. Some 43.2% of non-grammar school females have achieved this standard compared with 27.4% of non-grammar school males (Table 1, Appendix A and Figure 6).
The proportion of grammar school leavers achieving at least two A-levels at grades A* to E or equivalent has increased by 1.0 percentage point from 79.0% in 2018/19 to 80.0% in 2023/24. Some 85.2% of grammar school females left school with two or more A-levels or equivalent compared with 74.7% of grammar school males (Table 1, Appendix A and Figure 6).
3. Destinations
3.1 The destinations of school leavers
The main destination of school leavers is the destination reported by the pupil and recorded by the school.
Figure 7: Destinations of school leavers (%): 2023/24
In total, 40.3% of pupils leaving school in 2023/24 reported as continuing to Institutions of Higher Education. At 48.1%, the proportion of females reported as continuing to Institutions of Higher Education was higher than that for males (32.7%) (Table 14 and Figure 7).
When religion of pupil was considered, 37.4% of Protestant school leavers reported as continuing to Institutions of Higher Education compared with 43.0% of Catholic school leavers (Table 15).
The proportion of school leavers reported as continuing to Institutions of Higher Education has decreased by 1.7 percentage points, from 42.0% in 2018/19 to 40.3% in 2023/24. The proportion reported as continuing to Institutions of Further Education decreased from 32.9% in 2018/19 to 30.8% in 2023/24 (Table 22).
In 2023/24, school leavers not entitled to free school meals were more likely to report continuing their education with 73.3% entering institutions of Higher or Further Education compared with 63.1% of leavers who were entitled to free school meals (Table 17).
The proportion of school leavers reported as entering employment has increased by 1.0 percentage point from 10.3% in 2018/19 to 11.3% in 2023/24 (Table 22).
At 20.1%, the proportion of males reported as entering Training was approximately treble that of females (6.8%) (Table 14).
Overall, 95.9% of 2023/24 school leavers were recorded by their school as entering Education, Employment or Training. When school type was considered, 97.5% of grammar school leavers and 94.8% of non-grammar school leavers were recorded as having these destinations (Table 14).
4. Notes
Excel and CSV Tables
Uses of Qualification and Destination data
The primary reason for this data collection exercise is to create a statistical base to inform a wide range of policy areas aimed at raising standards and tackling educational underachievement. Data collected throughout this process are used by policy teams within the Department of Education (the Department) and by other users across the education service, most notably by the Education and Training Inspectorate and the Education Authority. The data are used to respond to Assembly questions and are included in the Department’s accountability and performance management process. The data are also used in the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, in particular literacy and numeracy strategies, school improvement programmes and relevant Departmental milestones.
The School Leavers Survey, and this associated publication, collect and report on information relating to the attainment and destinations of the cohort of pupils leaving the Northern Ireland school system from mainstream, grant-aided, post-primary schools during, or at the end of, an academic year. The school leavers in each academic year’s cohort will, therefore, include pupils that left the school system following Key Stage 4, i.e. following GCSEs or equivalents, as well as pupils that stayed on to undertake a period of Level 3 study, i.e. AS, A-levels or equivalents.
Broadly speaking, each academic year’s cohort of school leavers contains a mix of approximately one-third of leavers after Key Stage 4 and approximately two-thirds of leavers after a period of Level 3 study. Analyses of GCSEs (and equivalent qualifications) will, therefore, be a mix of attainment in the most recent academic year (for pupils leaving immediately following Key Stage 4) and attainment from previous academic years (for pupils leaving following a period of Level 3 study).
As such, the School Leavers Survey cannot be used to analyse examination results, or attainment, achieved in a specific academic year. The School Leavers Survey is, however, appropriate for monitoring the long-term trend of the impact of the Northern Ireland school system on pupil attainment levels. Analyses relating to examination results, or attainment, achieved in a specific academic year would more appropriately be taken from the Summary of Annual Examination Results (SAER) (opens in a new window) data collection.
Changes to Awarding Arrangements for GCSE and A-level Qualifications from Summer 2020 to Summer 2023
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in line with the other UK regions, public examinations in Summer 2020 were cancelled (opens in a new window) in Northern Ireland. Results awarded by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) for GCSEs were based solely on the Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs) (opens in a new window) provided by schools and colleges. Results awarded for A-levels were the higher of the CAG or the grade initially awarded (opens in a new window) by CCEA on 13 August 2020.
Similarly, public examinations were subsequently cancelled in Summer 2021 (opens in a new window) and all results awarded by CCEA were based on Centre Determined Grades (CDGs) provided by schools and colleges.
While public examinations went ahead in Summer 2022 (opens in a new window) , various adaptations were put in place by CCEA (opens in a new window) . This offered pupils the option to reduce the number of exams and assessments that they had to sit for the Summer 2022 exam series. The return to pre-pandemic standards was continued by CCEA (opens in a new window) in Summer 2023 and additional support, through the provision of Advance Information, was provided for the majority of qualifications.
Finally, Summer 2024 saw the first full series of CCEA examinations (opens in a new window) following a period of alternative awarding and a stepped return to pre-pandemic arrangements.
Given the alternative methods of awarding grades in 2019/20 and 2020/21, and the various assessment adaptations or other supports in place for 2021/22 and 2022/23, caution should be taken when drawing any conclusions relating to changes in student performance. Year-on-year changes might have been impacted by the different process for awarding qualifications in these years rather than reflect a change in underlying performance.
Other Information
- Analysis relating to school numbers and enrolments can be found on the Statistics section of the Department of Education’s website (opens in a new window) .
Accredited Official Statistics
Accredited Official Statistics (opens in a new window) are official statistics that have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and confirmed to comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in a new window) . Producers of accredited official statistics are legally required to ensure they maintain compliance with the Code. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by OSR in July 2010 in the Assessment of School Statistics for Northern Ireland (opens in a new window) , with accreditation confirmed (opens in a new window) in June 2011. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled Accredited Official Statistics.
Our statistical practice is regulated by OSR. They set the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website (opens in a new window) .
School Leavers Survey
More detail about the procedures used in the collection of school leavers data and further information about the quality of the data used, such as relevance, accuracy, reliability and confidentiality, can be found on the data collection and validation section of the Department of Education’s website (opens in a new window) . Special analyses of the school leavers survey data can be undertaken on request.
Related information for England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland is not presented here as, given the different qualifications systems, methodologies and headline measures, it would not be appropriate to present a direct comparative picture of pupil performance. Information for England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland can be accessed using the links below:
A comparison of Northern Ireland’s pupils in an international context is available through the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA, organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), aims to compare standards of achievement for 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science between participating countries and over time. PISA takes place every three years, although the 2021 cycle was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results for the most recently completed cycle of PISA are available using the following link: PISA 2022 National Report for Northern Ireland. (opens in a new window)
Further information on examination equivalencies can be found at Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications (opens in a new window) or Northern Ireland entitlement framework qualifications accreditation number. (opens in a new window)
The numbers relating to qualifications are cumulative totals of the given level of attainment and of those above it. For example, 87.4% of school leavers achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C including equivalents. This proportion is calculated by adding those leavers with a highest qualification of: three or more A-levels; two A-levels; one A-level; and five GCSEs at grades A* to C, and dividing this number by the total number of school leavers.
Destinations are as reported by the school leaver and recorded by the school.
Since 2012/13 two AS qualifications have not been counted as one A-level, which had been the case in previous years.
The school-leaving cohort comprises Year 12, 13 and 14 pupils leaving mainstream, grant-aided, post-primary schools. As the school leavers data collection and validation process takes place at the start of the subsequent academic year, it is not possible to collect or validate information for pupils who left schools that closed at the end of the academic year being analysed. However, this would only relate to a small number of pupils, if any.
Percentages have been rounded to one decimal place, for presentational purposes only. Some tables, therefore, may not sum to 100.0.
School leavers data inform the “school leavers attainment gap” indicator (within the Brighter Futures domain) in the Programme for Government 2024-2027 ‘Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most’ (opens in a new window) . The gap between the percentage of school leavers entitled to free school meals and not entitled to free school meals, achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* - C or equivalent including GCSEs in English and maths, is calculated using the unrounded figures.
The Statistics & Research Team’s privacy notice and other statistical protocols are available on the Department of Education’s website at Statistical policies. (opens in a new window)
A full review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) categories was undertaken in 2018/19 and consequently a new list of SEN categories and associated descriptors was created. The changes to the categories were implemented from January 2019 and impacted on the 2018/19 data relating to school leavers with SEN as schools transitioned to the new system. Data relating to the qualifications and destinations of school leavers with SEN were, therefore, not available for 2018/19. While data relating to the attainment and destinations of school leavers within the new list of SEN categories are available from 2019/20 onwards, they are, however, not comparable with SEN data for previous years. A subsequent change in 2020/21 was made to reduce the number of SEN stages from five to three. Further information on the review of SEN categories can be found here: DE Recording children with Special Educational Needs. (opens in a new window)
As part of Action Short of Strike, 22 schools did not submit their School Leavers Survey returns electronically for 2022/23. While it was possible to extract the majority of the required information, for some pupils in these schools it was necessary, for certain data items such as Free School Meal Entitlement or Special Educational Needs status, to use data from the previous School Census. As such, these characteristics would be for their position as of 7 October 2022 rather than of their date of leaving. However, this is likely to have a negligible impact on any analyses.
School Leavers datasets can also be accessed through the NISRA Data Portal. (opens in a new window)
Please send any feedback on the content or presentation of this publication to the e-mail address: statistics@education-ni.gov.uk
Open Government Licence
All content in this report is licensed and available under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
To view this licence, go to: Open Government Licence (opens in a new window)
5. Contact details
Published by: Statistics & Research Team, Department of Education
Lead Statistician: Caoimhe Stewart
Telephone: (028) 9052 2644
Accessibility contact
Please contact Dissemination Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are:
Email: info@nisra.gov.uk
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