More than 26,000 students across Northern Ireland are due to receive their A-level and AS-level results on Thursday, 13 August 2026. Many students will be able to view their results online from 08:00 BST, while others may collect them in person at their schools.
Students will also receive results for some BTEC qualifications on the same day. The majority of these qualifications are taken through the Northern Ireland exams board CCEA, though some students will receive grades from English and Welsh exam boards.
Northern Ireland pupils are anticipated to achieve more top grades than their counterparts in England and Wales. In 2025, over 30% of A-level entries in Northern Ireland received A* or A grades, with similar results expected for 2026.
Looking ahead, significant changes are planned for qualifications in Northern Ireland, though these will not affect current AS or A-level students. From 2029, a new two-year modular A-level with three separate topics or exams will be introduced. Following this, CCEA will no longer offer a separate AS-level qualification. These reforms are part of a wider education initiative called TransformED, introduced by Education Minister Paul Givan.
The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) indicates a slight decrease in the proportion of young people in Northern Ireland applying to university in recent years. In 2022, 52.8% of 18-year-olds applied, falling to 49.1% in 2026. Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLAs) have become a more popular choice, with over 2,100 students enrolled in an HLA course in an FE College in Northern Ireland in 2024/25, according to the Department of Economy.