Five key takeaways from this year's GCSE results

The GCSE results for this year reveal a slight drop in the pass rate, with some variations across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. An increase in older students taking resits is noted, along with concerns about the effectiveness of current resit policies. Regional gaps in performance are highlighted, as well as a narrowing gap between boys' and girls' pass rates. Surprisingly, Spanish has become more popular than French among students, possibly due to its global appeal and association with travel.