Exam joy for teens
Results published on Thursday show 22.6 percent of exams sat in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were awarded an A* or an A, up from 21.6% last year.
More pupils took single sciences, but some languages continued to decline.
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Hide AdThere has also been a big rise in the number of pupils sitting English and maths GCSEs a year early.
But the new trend will fuel the argument over whether GCSEs are getting easier.
And it may be reflected in the fact that overall, the proportion of entries getting A*-C grades is up again, by two percentage points on last year from the highest ever.
The pass rate rose for the 23rd year in a row, this year to 98.7per cent of entries.
Local success stories to follow ...