GCSE students across England will be able to check their exam results on their phones for the first time in August.
An “education record” app, which was trialled with 95,000 pupils in Manchester and the West Midlands last summer, will initially download results – and also allow Year 11 students to store a digital record of those results for future use, such as when applying for jobs or further education.
However, headteachers say pupils will be encouraged to attend school on results day to receive “advice or support.”.
One incentive to do this is that while the traditional brown envelopes containing the much-awaited grades will still be available to be collected in person from 08:00 on results day, the new app will not receive its update until 11:00.
The app will also hold information for schools and colleges on whether students have special educational needs and disabilities or are eligible for free school meals.
The Department for Education estimates that this rollout could save schools and colleges up to £30 million a year in administrative costs due to the cost and time currently spent sharing information, as every teenager will now be able to show up on request in the later stages of their education.
“No student should be rummaging through a drawer looking for a tattered certificate as they prepare for a job interview,” said Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith.
“This app will provide youth with instant access to their results when they need it, freeing teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork.”
Schools are being encouraged to sign up so students can download and set up the app before summer results day.
Almost all the students at Meadow Park School in Coventry, who took part in the pilot programme during the summer, still came to school on results day to collect their brown envelopes, according to headteacher Bernadette Pateman.
“The traditional brown envelope moment is still an important milestone for students; it’s a chance to see friends, celebrate together and connect with staff,” Pateman told the BBC.
Pepe Díasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was important for young people to have an accessible record of their achievements but stressed that students should still collect test results in person.
“This face-to-face contact not only allows them to celebrate with peers and teachers but also allows them to receive any advice or support regarding next steps.”
He said, “We are sure that school and college leaders will also welcome the administrative savings made possible as a result of this change, although it will be a drop in the ocean compared to the funding pressures they are facing.”
Students in Scotland, where there is a separate set of exams for pupils aged 16, have been able to get your result through an online app since 2019.
No changes to the results process have been announced in Wales and Northern Ireland, where students sit GCSEs and the education system is politically devolved.
announced that around eight GCSE
The exams themselves keep evolving. Last month, Ofqual, the exam watchdog in England, announced that around eight GCSE and A-level exams could switch from the traditional pen-and-paper method to on-screen assessment in 2030.
We are seeking the views of teachers, examination boards, and parents on this proposal.
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of Ofqual, says any changes to the exam must be fair, thoroughly tested and of high quality.
Additional reporting by Rahib Khan
