From this summer GCSE students will be able to access their results via a new government app. However, pupils will still go into school on results day to meet face-to-face with their teachers and receive their results, with those results then subsequently being available on the Education Record app.
The intention of the app is to make it easier for young people to enrol in their post-16 destination, and give them access to their results at their fingertips for life. It will also provide employers with clear, accurate information on a job candidate’s education history without relying on paper certificates. Initially only GCSE students will be able to get their results via the app, but it is intended that it will be extended to A Levels results in future.
The government estimates that the app could save schools and colleges up to £30 million per year in administrative costs, although this would be based on the app – which will initially be optional – being used by nearly all schools and young people. Schools and colleges are being encouraged to sign up now ahead of results days in August 2026. Work is also underway to link the Education Record and the GOV.UK Wallet, which may eventually enable citizens to store everything from exam results to driving licences in one secure digital space.
The national roll out follows on from the app being piloted in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands last year. However that pilot, which was run on an optional basis, saw only 29 schools take part out of the 487 that were invited. This meant only around 4000 pupils were involved, although feedback from those that did take part is understood to have been positive.
Announcing the national roll out, skills minister Jacqui Smith said: ‘No student should have to rifle through drawers looking for a crumpled certificate when they’re preparing for a job interview. This app will give young people instant access to their results whenever they need them while freeing up teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork.’
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, commented: ‘It is a sensible move to use digital technology to simplify the transition to post-16 education for everyone involved. Young people work so hard to obtain their GCSE results, it is important that they have a secure and accessible record of their achievements as they move through the education system. We are glad that GCSE students still have the chance to go into school on results day. This face-to-face contact not only allows them to celebrate with peers and teachers, but also to receive any advice or support they may require regarding next steps. We are sure that school and college leaders will also welcome the administrative savings made possible as a result of this change, although this will only amount to a drop in the ocean compared to the funding pressures they remain under.’ However, there was a note of caution sounded by Elizabeth Anderson, chief executive of the Digital Poverty Alliance, who argued that the app’s introduction risked widening the ‘digital divide’ among young people. ‘There will also be a set of young people using older devices that may not be secure, risking cyber or data breaches, simply for checking their exam results. We cannot exclude the next generation when it comes to education by pushing yet another essential service online, without the proper support in place’, she said.