Almost 40% of GSCE entries in Northern Ireland have been awarded A or A* grades.
The proportion of entries awarded top grades by teachers has increased by 3.6 percentage points to 39.9%.
There has been little change in the number of entries achieving A-C grades – with 89.6% in 2021 compared to 89.8% last year.
Teacher assessments
It was the second year in a row grades issued in Northern Ireland were based on teacher assessments.
The system was used after formal examinations were cancelled again due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, record high teacher-assessed A-level results were issued in the region, with more than half of the grades awarded either A*s or As.
The number of GCSEs entered in Northern Ireland increased by 2.6% this year, from 162,035 to 166,172 in line with the rise in the school population.
Some 28,940 students from 246 centres, mostly schools, were entered for GCSE qualifications set by local exams body the CCEA.
In the absence of formal exams, grades were instead assessed by teachers and decided through a five-stage process.
This did not include the statistical algorithm used last year to standardise A-level results which sparked outrage after more than a third of grades predicted by teachers were reduced.
An outcry from teachers, parents and students led to the original teacher-assessed grades being issued.
The CCEA said it had a high level of engagement with principals, teachers, learners, parents and unions, amongst others for its assessments this year.
Students were described as being assessed on what they had been taught, taking into account disruption throughout schools due to the pandemic.
School leaders received training from the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, as well as resources to train teachers to assess grades in accordance with CCEA grade descriptors, before an internal standardisation process within schools.
Centre heads, principals in most cases, were required to confirm the grades were a true reflection of student performance.
The CCEA then took samples from each centre to assess the effectiveness of the policy to produce reasonable grades.
Grades can be challenged without charge this year in a two-stage process of a centre review to rule out administrative errors and/or a CCEA review of the professional judgment of the teachers.
