Overall achievement at GCSE level is down for the first time in three years, exam results released today will reveal.

As students await their results the government has announced that the pass rate has fallen to 97.6 per cent.

This represents a small reduction after three years at a constant pass rate of 97.9 per cent.

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "We are delighted with these excellent GCSE results. They reflect the hard work of both students and their teachers.

"The GCSE is an academically rigorous and successful exam; it provides a measure of achievement for all students, whether they intend to go on to post-16 education or on to the world of work.

"Any reform to the 14 to 19 curriculum must build upon the success of the GCSE."

Forum Response: National Union of Teachers

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the NUT, said: "Again this is evidence of the overwhelming success of young people at GCSE. Inevitably it becomes harder and harder for overall achievement to rise year on year. But against the odds, overall achievement has shown another increase, albeit slight.

"The GCSE exam has proved its worth. Any changes to examinations considered by government advisers have to take into account that success and the stability of GCSE as an exam.

"The overall message from the results must be if it ain't broke don't fix it. Governments must learn to conserve what is good and the GCSE is just that. Over the years it has ensured that young people work consistently hard throughout the two years and demonstrate their achievements in depth across a wide curriculum.

"Sadly, there has been a marginal decline in the proportion of young people gaining a certificate at GCSE. The government's demand that a minimum of 15 per cent of all young people in each school gain five A to C grades has inevitably resulted in resources being targeted at those most likely to meet the government's aim."

Forum Response: The Prince's Trust

Sir Tom Shebbeare, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, said: "The number of young people leaving education with no qualifications is a worrying trend.

"Our own research shows that young people's biggest barrier to success is their lack of qualifications.

"The government needs to focus more on a flexible education with ongoing and tangible incentives to encourage and engage more young people to remain in education.

"For many of these young people, it may be the beginning of a lifelong struggle to find work. The result can be a downward spiral towards loss of self-confidence, and even crime, homelessness and drug misuse. All of us feel the impact.

"In today's knowledge-based economy the gap between young people with low basic skills and their peers is widening all the time, meaning the imperative to get them back on track has never been greater. The whole country needs to turn its attention to how we avoid this appalling waste."