The proportion of GCSE top marks awarded in Northern Ireland has declined.
This was expected for the first time since 2019 due to the return of summer exams.
A* and A grades were awarded to about 37% of GCSE entries, compared to about 40% in 2021.
In 2019, the most recent year in which exams were held, less than a third of all GCSEs in Northern Ireland were awarded an A* or A.
Nine out of ten GCSE submissions in Northern Ireland received a grade of C or above in 2022, a slight increase from 2021.
Results in Northern Ireland are again higher than in England and Wales, where just over a quarter of entries received top marks.
Some students also received results for BTec, professional or entry-level qualifications on Thursday.
However, the Pearson Examination Board has warned that some students will not achieve their results as expected.
It is still unclear whether students in Northern Ireland will be affected by the delay.
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Also in 2022, girls outperformed boys in Northern Ireland by achieving the best grades.
About 42% of submissions from girls in 2022 received an A* or A grade, compared to 32% of submissions from boys.
Around 3% of GCSE entries in Northern Ireland are taken through English examination boards, which means some students have obtained numbers and letter results.
That’s because GCSEs in England are scored numerically from nine to one.
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The Northern Ireland Examination Board CCEA has retained the rating system from A* to G.
While the GCSE results and some statistics will be released on Thursday, full details on how students have fared this year will not be available for a few months.
GCSE, AS and A Level and AS Level exams have been canceled during the Covid-19 pandemic and students have been given grades calculated by their schools instead.
This increased the number of top marks awarded.
In 2022 there were a number of changes to GCSEs to reflect the disruptions – including months of remote learning – that students have been facing during the pandemic.
There were fewer examinations in almost all GCSE subjects, and units or modules were also eliminated from subjects.
Examination boards also said grading would be more generous than in pre-pandemic years, including more lenient grading limits.
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Unlike the Abitur, many students do not collect their school results online.
Speaking to BBC News NI on Thursday, Susan Wilson, principal at Castlederg High School in County Tyrone, said it was going to be a great day for the students.
“No one can really underestimate the stress and strain that the students and staff have been under this year,” she said.
“The resilience of the students and the resilience of the staff was incredible.”
Brigid Heron, Headmistress at Sperrin Integrated College in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, said it was “a truly historic day for us”.
“It’s our 20th anniversary year and our youngsters have achieved results at historic levels, better than the center-determined marks we had last year,” she said.
“Overall, every single department and every single student really exceeded our expectations.”
Business Secretary Gordon Lyons said young people deserved praise in the wake of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think the way they reacted and prevailed is to be congratulated,” he said.
“The second thing I would say is that if you might have an outcome that wasn’t expected, don’t worry, don’t panic.
“There are so many options and possibilities for you.”
Students use their GCSE and BTec scores to advance to high school, take courses in further education, apprenticeships or employment.
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