Today is GCSE results day, and many young people across Bristol will be receiving their results. Over 3000 students took their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams, typically taken at the end of secondary school.

This year marks the first year of a new system of marking exams. Instead of letter grades (A*-U) exams are now graded with numbers 9-1.

In addition to this new grading system, the curriculum has changed to give students more content to learn, and tougher questions – only 4% of papers were awarded 9, the top grade. Yet despite the challenges presented by the new structure of GCSE exams, provisional results suggest that 61.8% of students in Bristol have achieved grade 4 and above in English and Maths, securing a passing C-grade equivalent. This is a rise in the proportion of students achieving pass-rates in exams compared to last year. These results follow on from our excellent A-level results last week, and reflect the hard work of local young people and the commitment of my administration to supporting local education.

In Bristol, our Learning City Partnership is working to ensure all young people in Bristol have access to a good education and that no student is left behind. Our priorities are to improve children’s literacy, outcomes for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), increasing attendance and participation in education, as well as improving pathways for young people into further/higher education and employment. I am committed to addressing and narrowing the attainment gap in our city to promote the best for our young people.

I hope that those young people receiving exam results achieved the grades they wanted. To those of you who are disappointed, don’t give up! I myself received 5 C’s and a D, but through hard work and determination I was able to eventually go on to study at university and eventually become Mayor! No matter your results, you can still do well in the future because there are many different options available to young people. You may wish to start a vocational course or continue to study towards A-Levels, while others may step into the working world.

With so much change in the exam system this year, our students have had to overcome many trials to succeed. Congratulations to those of you collecting results; I wish you all the best with whatever you plan to do next.