Northern Irish students receive grades but full picture of class of covid yet to emerge

We knew last year's figures were a record with over half of pupils scoring the highest grades. 

It was a high benchmark and there was little expectation that it would be matched this year. 

As predicted there was a fall in the number achieving top grades. Covid has disrupted education massively since the pandemic struck. 

It's difficult to compare results year on year as nothing has been normal for sometime.  This was the first year pupils sat any sort of examination since 2019. 

That is the closest year we can draw a comparison from. However, even then it doesn't give the full picture. 

While pupils were back in the exam hall in 2022, there were fewer exams and some topics weren't examined at all within a subject. 

That was in recognition that covid was still causing disruption to the school year. 

Many pupils had periods of isolation to deal with and teachers were off due to covid outbreaks.

All of that created a far from perfect environment for learning. 

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.