In England, each pupil will have an “education record” app which will download and store their GCSE results for the first time in August 2026.

The Department of Education in England has said it will also save schools and colleges administrative costs, and “modernise how young people access their exam results once they have left school”.

The app will be updated with a pupil’s results from 11:00 BST on GCSE results day, which is due to be Thursday 20 August 2026.

Many pupils may still go to school to collect their results earlier that morning.

But a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland exams board CCEA said there were no similar plans.

“As with all CCEA processes, we will keep this topic under review and consult with our schools and students and other relevant stakeholders for future considerations,” they said.

Ronan and Tabitha from St Ronan’s College in Lurgan are studying for GCSEs, but both told BBC News NI that they would rather come into school to get their results than receive them on an app.

“There’s a buzz around the school,” Ronan said.

“People might feel like they want to stay at home if they got bad results and not go in and tell people about their results.”

Both Ronan and Tabitha thought it would be important to go in to talk about results with friends and teachers.

“I think everything now is becoming so much more digital, and especially as your GCSE results are so important for the future and everything, it’s so much more beneficial to be surrounded by your friends and your teachers, and to be able to access that support network,” Tabitha said.

“It’s good to see familiar faces and it makes everybody feel more comfortable and secure.

“Especially at our age I think it’s good to be able to access the support network around you that is provided by the school.”

Their principal Fiona Kane said that she thought the app was a good idea, but she still liked to see pupils coming into school on results day.

“Even at A-level, when they can get results online, we still try to bring the students and their families in,” she said.

“We have a celebration event in school and it’s really good to spend time with them.”

The principal of Bangor Academy, Matthew Pitts, also told BBC News NI that he was glad that his pupils would still come into school to pick up GCSE results.

“Staff have invested a lot of time and energy, and built up good relationships with students,” he said.

“So it’s good for them to come in, so you get a chance to see them, and talk about their results and the next steps they’re going to take.”

Separately, the Department of Education is considering major changes to exams in Northern Ireland which could see the end of AS-levels and a return to a two-year A-level course.

At GCSE and A-level there would be fewer topics to study and fewer exams, with the aim of a maximum of two exams in every GCSE and two for every A-level.

A public consultation on the proposals concluded in November 2025.