Year 11 pupils in England will soon be able to access their GCSE results on their phones, under government plans to modernise how exam records are stored and shared.
The Department for Education has announced the national rollout of a new app, the Education Record, which allows students to view their GCSE results digitally from summer 2026.
This will make it easier for young people to enrol in further education or prove their qualifications to future employers.
Under the plans, pupils will still attend school on results day to receive their grades in person from 9am. Results will then appear on the app later the same morning, from 11am.
The government says the app will reduce reliance on paper certificates, which can be lost or damaged, and will give employers faster access to verified education records.
Schools and colleges will also be able to see key information about incoming students, including whether they need to resit English or maths GCSEs, have special educational needs, or are eligible for free school meals.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith said the new system would bring exam records “into the 21st century”.
“This app gives young people instant access to their results whenever they need them, while freeing up teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork,” she said.
A good use of money?
The Education Record app has already been piloted in parts of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, where around 4,000 pupils at 29 schools accessed their GCSE results digitally last summer. Earlier technical pilots took place in Coventry and Oldham.
Ms Smith told Sky News the app, which has cost £5.5m over the past two years, has “been recognised and welcomed by the students and the schools and colleges”.
But Robert Logan, principal at Hathershaw College in Oldham, where the pilot took place, said he would rather have money to repair his school building with “bricks and mortar” and “train teachers to the highest possible standard, so children have the best educational outcomes”.
Mr Logan also said he would like to see the SEND (special education needs and disabilities) funding gap addressed.
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The app did pose some issues: students need to possess an appropriate smartphone – if the device is too old, the app cannot be downloaded.
Students will also need to have the necessary data capability to download the app, which will also need to be downloaded by the college or sixth form.
But Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, described the expansion as “a sensible development”, adding that including post-16 qualifications in future could make the system even more useful.
Schools and colleges are being encouraged to sign up to the Education Record system ahead of GCSE results day in August 2026.
The Department for Education also is committed to increasing its funding for the condition of school and college buildings, investing £3bn per year by 2034-35.
