GCSE results day has long been one of the most memorable dates in the school calendar, from anxious envelopes and hugs in school halls to delighted smiles for the camera.
These photographs capture students in and around York at the moment when years of homework, revision and exams finally turned into results, and when the next chapter became more of a reality.
Celebrations in 2017 at All Saints. Photo: Frank Dwyer
Happy photos from 2015 capture pupils celebrating their achievements like many traditional summer results mornings that had come before.
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Two years later schools were navigating a changing qualifications landscape as Maths and English had moved to the new 9-1 grading scale, while other subjects retained A*-G grades.
Spirits were high at Celebrations at St Peter's School in York back in 2015. Picture: Frank Dwyer
At Millthorpe School head teacher Trevor Burton said the year group had coped well with the exam changes, while All Saints RC School head teacher Bill Scriven praised pupils for their ‘motivation and determination’, particularly those who had overcome difficult personal circumstances - highlighting that results day stories are never just about numbers.
Photos from Huntington School in 2019 show the new grades were becoming more familiar with a number of high achievers celebrating the results of their hard work.
2020 saw big celerbations at Manor CE Academy on GCSE results day, with (l-r,) Adam Bruce, Lucy White, Cecile Lansford, Dora Banda and Theo Walton. Picture: Frank Dwyer
Then came 2020: a results day like no other. With exams cancelled during the first Covid lockdown, pupils received grades based on teachers’ professional judgement.
Bella Gill and Florence Partridge who both achieved eight GCSEs at Grades 7-9 at Millthorpe in 2023. (Image Supplied)
(Image: Submitted)
Traditional end-of-school celebrations were postponed, and uncertainty also affected students awaiting BTEC results after Pearson announced a review.
By 2022, formal GCSE examinations had returned and thousands of young people celebrated their results after school closures and disruption had shaped much of their secondary education.
At Manor CE Academy, interim principal Liz Mastin said the class of 2022 had taken tests and exams ‘for the first time in three years’, praising their resilience and application. At schools across the city, the results-day photographs carried an added meaning: relief, pride and a bounce-back after unprecedented years.