How many reached grade 4
219,135 GCSE maths entries in England in June 2026 came from students aged 17 and over, and 15.3% of them reached grade 4 or above. That is down 1.8 points on 2025, when it was 17.1%. Entries were up 6.0% on 2025.
In English language there were 187,558 entries from students aged 17 and over, and 19.8% reached grade 4 or above, down 1.1 points on 2025, when it was 20.9%. Entries were up 7.1% on 2025.
Across all ages in England, 57.2% of maths entries and 59.5% of English language entries reached grade 4.
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Results by age
17-year-olds made up 47.9% of maths entries aged 17 and over. The lowest grade 4 rate in maths was at age 19, 10.3%, and in English language at age 19, 15.6%. Students aged 20 and over had the highest rate in both subjects.
| Age | Entries 2026 | Grade 4+ 2026 | Grade 4+ 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 104,923 | 16.4% | 18.1% |
| 18 | 66,058 | 10.4% | 12.1% |
| 19 | 27,615 | 10.3% | 11.5% |
| 20 and over | 20,539 | 32.5% | 34.0% |
| All aged 17 and over | 219,135 | 15.3% | 17.1% |
| Age | Entries 2026 | Grade 4+ 2026 | Grade 4+ 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 96,824 | 21.0% | 22.0% |
| 18 | 53,360 | 16.1% | 16.7% |
| 19 | 20,977 | 15.6% | 15.9% |
| 20 and over | 16,397 | 29.6% | 33.2% |
| All aged 17 and over | 187,558 | 19.8% | 20.9% |
Maths and English compared
Maths had more entries from students aged 17 and over than English language, 219,135 against 187,558. English language had the higher grade 4 rate at every age from 17 to 19. Maths had the higher rate among students aged 20 and over, 32.5% against 29.6%.
Adults (20 and over)
20,539 maths entries and 16,397 English language entries came from adults aged 20 and over. 32.5% of the adult maths entries reached grade 4, against 15.3% for everyone aged 17 and over. In English language the adult rate was 29.6%, against 19.8%.
The difference comes from who sits the exam. In England, students aged 16 to 18 without grade 4 must keep studying maths and English (the rule is explained below), so the bands from 17 to 19 include many students who are working towards the subject because they have to. The rule does not cover most adults, so the adults in these figures are a smaller group who decided to enter.
JCQ's tables do not record how anyone prepared, so they cannot show that one way of preparing works better than another, tutoring included.
For adults, GOV.UK says that "in most cases you will not have to pay for level 1 and 2 English and maths courses". The Department for Education's Adult Skills Fund rules say it will not fund a learner "to only resit the exam" without further study. Mayoral authorities that run their own adult skills budget publish their own rules.
When resits can be taken
GCSE English language and maths can be resat in November as well as in the summer, by students who were aged 16 or over on 31 August. Every other GCSE, and AS and A levels, can only be resat the following summer. These are Ofqual's rules for England.
November 2026 resits: exams run from 2 to 11 November 2026, and results come out on 13 January 2027. The entry deadline was 4 October 2026, and exam boards charge a late fee for entries after it.
Summer 2027: exams run from 10 May to 18 June 2027, and GCSE results come out on 19 August 2027. The entry deadline is 21 February 2027.
These are JCQ's key dates, which apply to every exam board. A private candidate enters through an exam centre, which sets its own fees and an earlier deadline of its own. The Department for Education tells colleges to consider carefully whether a student is ready before entering them for November, looking at "attendance, engagement and progress". There is more on resits in our GCSE resits guide.
Who has to keep studying maths and English
In England, students aged 16 to 18 on a study programme or T Level who do not have grade 4 in maths or English must keep studying that subject. For students with an education, health and care (EHC) plan the age limit is 25. The rule is the Department for Education's condition of funding for 16 to 19 education.
Full-time students with grade 3 must study towards the GCSE. Students with grade 2 or below can study for Functional Skills level 2 or for the GCSE.
The rule requires study, not a resit exam. The Department for Education's guidance says: "It is not a requirement for students to re-sit an exam."
About the data
Source: JCQ joint results tables, © JCQCIC. The age bands come from JCQ's table of post-16 GCSE results for English and maths by age, which covers England only, and the totals for students aged 17 and over come from its key-grades table. These are provisional June-series figures as published on results day. November results are published separately and are not included.
JCQ counts entries, so a student who sat both subjects is counted once in each. The tables record age but not whether a student has sat the subject before, so some entries at 17 and over, adults especially, may be first attempts. The 2025 figures are the ones JCQ repeated alongside 2026's; they match the totals it published in 2025. Our computed figures and tables are free to reuse with credit to Tutorperch and JCQ.