GCSE grades have fallen across the board, according to results released this morning.

The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), show that just over two-thirds of entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (66.9%) were awarded A*-C - deemed by schools to be a "good" pass.

However, this was a 2.1 percentage point drop on the previous year.

The overall pass rate - those achieving A*-G - also dropped, albeit it only slightly, from 98.6% in 2015 to 98.4% this year.

And there was a 0.1 percentage point drop in A* grades - the fifth year running that there has been a fall - with 6.5% of entries given the highest mark this year.

As usual, girls outperformed boys, with the gender gap has increasing slightly, by 0.5%, this summer.

71.3% of girls' entries awarded at least a C grade, compared with 62.4% of boys'. However, both were down on last year, from 73.1% and 64.7% respectively.

Girls also outperform boys in terms of achieving the very top grades - with 7.9% getting an A*, compared with 5.0%, although both saw a slight decline.

Today's results include vast swathes of students resitting English and maths after stipulations brought in under the coalition government to ensure teenagers in England who do not score at least a C grade in both subjects at the age of 16 are required to continue studying these subjects until they reach this level.

Results showed a 23.2% increase in the number of students aged 17 and older, although their grades at A*-C dropped by 7.6 percentage points.

Michael Turner, director general of the JCQ, said: "There is significant movement in this year's entries, which impacts on results and creates a very complex national picture.

"We have seen shifts not only between subjects, but also across qualifications and year groups.

"This is driven by several factors, including performance measures and re-sit policies in England."

A total of 5,434,597 GCSE results have been issued today, up on last year's 5,429,478.