It represents a leap from 20.7% last year - however, students have been warned that it could spark a scramble for college places.
However, BTEC students face a nervous wait for their exam results after exam board Pearson pulled their grades just hours before results day.
The exam board confirmed on Wednesday that 450,000 students would receive revised marks to bring them in line with A-Levels and GCSES - meaning their results will not be published on Thursday morning.
Follow our GCSE and A-level live blog for all the latest news and updates...
Scotland has recorded the highest daily rise of new coronavirus cases in almost three months - a jump of 77.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the total number of cases recorded now stands at 19,534.
She added while the prevalence of COVID-19 is low, the R number - the average amount of people someone with the virus passes it on to - may be above one.
No new deaths have been reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours.
Ms Sturgeon confirmed Scotland will remain in phase three of her four-part plan for easing restrictions, having seen the largest daily rise in reported cases since 22 May.
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Local lockdowns are in place in Aberdeen and with the authorities dealing with a "significant cluster" in Coupar Angus, the SNP leader said she is "considering carefully and urgently whether further restrictions are necessary".
Despite the clusters, Ms Sturgeon said some reopenings penciled in for 24 August could proceed, including outdoor live events - with physical distancing, enhanced hygiene and restricted numbers in place.
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Organised contact sports can resume but for outdoor coaching sessions the number of people who can attend will be capped at 30.
Driving lessons may also restart, Ms Sturgeon said, as well as indoor face-to-face advice services.
And the reopening of gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts is being brought forward to 31 August.
Ms Sturgeon added further measures could be relaxed from 14 September but "given the volatility we face in transmission of the virus, there is a very real possibility that these plans will change".
She said the devolved government hopes sports stadiums can reopen in just under a month - but only for limited numbers of spectators who will have to follow strict distancing rules.
It is also hoped indoor contact sports activities can resume for people aged 12 and over from the same date.
Theatres, live music venues and other entertainment sites could be able to reopen then too - again with strict distancing in place.
The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been jailed for at least 55 years for the murders of 22 people.
Hashem Abedi helped his older sibling Salman to plan the atrocity that killed 22 men, women and children and injured hundreds more on 22 May 2017.
He was convicted after a court heard he was "just as guilty" as his brother, who detonated the bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.
Abedi, 23, refused to leave his cell at the Old Bailey for the sentencing.
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told the court "the stark reality is, these were atrocious crimes. Large in scale, deadly in intent, appalling in their consequences".
"The despair and desolation of the bereaved families has been palpable," he added.
He told Abedi he would spend at least 55 years in prison before he could even be considered for parole.
Because Hashem was under 21 at the time of the murders - he was 20 - the law forbids the imposition of a whole life order, meaning a life sentence with no minimum term.
Manchester-born Abedi, who had travelled to Libya before the bombing, was arrested shortly after the terror attack and extradited back to Britain to face trial.
He was found guilty by a jury in March of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder - encompassing the remaining injured - and conspiring to cause explosions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the jailing of Abedi for his role in the bombing was "an opportunity to reflect on the importance of tolerance, community and kindness".
"The Manchester Arena attack was a horrifying and cowardly act of violence which targeted children and families," he added.
"Those who were taken from us will never be forgotten, nor will the spirit of the people of Manchester who came together to send a clear message to the entire world that terrorists will never prevail."
A serial rapist dubbed the "night stalker" has been jailed for life for the murder of one of his victims more than a decade after her death.
Aman Vyas was extradited from India to face trial for the 2009 murder of Michelle Samaraweera, 35, in Walthamstow, east London.
The 35-year-old was also found guilty of five counts of rape and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He was sentenced to a minimum jail term of 37 years at Croydon Crown Court.
The court heard Vyas preyed on lone women at night, turning a small area near his home into a "hunting ground" for violent rapes against at least four women.
Prosecutor Tom Little QC called him "the E17 night stalker".
Vyas was 24 years old when he attacked his his first victim on 24 March 2009, following the woman into her block of flats before raping and beating her in her own home.
About a month later, he violently raped his second victim in an alleyway.
Vyas followed his third victim from a shop before attacking her and raping her in a churchyard in the early hours of 29 April.
His final attack ended in the murder of Ms Samaraweera, who lived alone in Hainault but had a boyfriend in Walthamstow.
Vyas attacked her as she walked home from a late-night supermarket on 30 May.
She was raped and left in a children's play area with all her shopping before a passer-by discovered her body in the morning.
Post-mortem examinations found Ms Samaraweera had died as a result of pressure to her neck.
It represents a leap from 20.7% last year - however, students have been warned that it could spark a scramble for college places.
However, BTEC students face a nervous wait for their exam results after exam board Pearson pulled their grades just hours before results day.
The exam board confirmed on Wednesday that 450,000 students would receive revised marks to bring them in line with A-Levels and GCSES - meaning their results will not be published on Thursday morning.
Follow our GCSE and A-level live blog for all the latest news and updates...
GCSE students in England have achieved a record-breaking set of results, with a surge in the number of top marks handed to them after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Just over a quarter of pupils, 25.9%, were awarded grade 7 or higher - equivalent to an A or A* under the old system - up from 20.7% last summer.
Pass rates are also up across the board - with the amount of students getting grade 4 or above rising by 13% to 76% year-on-year.
Image:Every subject saw the numbers awarded a grade seven grow
And the number of those achieving the highest available mark - a grade 9 - surged by 40%.
Every single subject saw the numbers awarded a grade seven grow - with the biggest spikes recorded in engineering, economics and the performing arts.
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The smallest increases were in science double award, maths and English.
Half a million BTEC students who were expecting to get their grades on Thursday were told last night they will not be ready in time and may have to wait another week to receive them.
The whole results system has been dogged by confusion given the four UK governments initially relied on an algorithm to moderate the marks handed out by teachers to try and stop massive grade inflation.
But one by one, Scotland, then Northern Ireland, Wales and finally England decided to scrap the adjusted results and give students their so-called "centre assessed grades".
Image:Grades are based on teachers' predictions and were not moderated further
Over 600,000 pupils are receiving their GCSE marks today, as they consider their next options including A-levels, apprenticeships or the new T-levels beginning this autumn.
There were scenes of joy in many schools as students celebrated the anxiety finally being over in a difficult year for schools given exams and most teaching were scrapped due to COVID-19.
In Wales, the number of A and A* grades has risen to 25.9% - up from 18.4% - and the amount of people getting above a C rose to 74.5% from 62.8%.
And in Northern Ireland, 37.1% of students got an A or A*, up by by 5.7% compared to last year, with the proportion of those given above a C standing at 89.4% - up 7.6%.
Image:Exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted congratulations from his holiday in Scotland, saying: "I know the last few months have been tough and this isn't how you imagined you would be finishing year 11, but you can be proud of how you helped to keep the virus under control.
"You have literally saved lives through staying at home and keeping distance from others. Thank you for protecting yourselves, your families and your communities this year."
Earlier, schools minister Nick Gibb apologised to students caught up in the chaos of results changes.
'I want to say sorry to pupils for the pain'
"I want to say to those young people how sorry I am for the anxiety, the pain and the uncertainty that has been caused by what happened to the grading system," he told Sky News.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson had faced calls to resign but is still in his post - though the government has refused to comment on a report he offered to quit but had it turned down by Downing Street.
Analysis: Pupils feeling relieved but frustrated By Laura Bundock, Sky correspondent
In any other year there would be celebrations for a record-breaking set of GCSE results.
Pass rates are up across the board, as are the number of students awarded grade 7 or higher.
Take a look at maths - two thirds of pupils passed their GCSE this year, that's up 11% on the previous year.
And there's been a 40% increase in the number of grade 9's awarded. That's the very top mark.
But of course this has been no ordinary year, these are grades for exams that weren't sat.
Results instead - the product of a computer algorithm - increased if teacher predictions were higher.
For pupils there is a sense of relief but also frustration, given they've had to watch the fiasco of A-levels unfold before their results were finally sorted.
And for BTec students that frustration and confusion could continue for many days.
Are you a student getting your results today? Get in touch with Sky News :: WhatsApp - 07583 000853 :: Email - news@sky.com :: 'Your Report' on Sky News apps
GCSE students in England have achieved a record-breaking set of results, with a surge in the number of top marks handed to them after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Just over a quarter of pupils, 25.9%, were awarded grade 7 or higher - equivalent to an A or A* under the old system - up from 20.7% last summer.
Pass rates are also up across the board - with the amount of students getting grade 4 or above rising by 13% to 76% year-on-year.
Image:Over 600,000 pupils are receiving their GCSE marks today
And the number of those achieving the highest available mark - a grade 9 - increased by 40%.
Every single subject saw the numbers awarded a grade seven grow - with the biggest spikes recorded in engineering, economics and the performing arts.
Advertisement
The smallest increases were in science double award, maths and English.
Half a million BTEC students who were expecting to get their grades on Thursday were told last night they will not be ready in time and may have to wait another week to receive them.
The whole results system has been dogged by confusion given the four UK governments initially relied on an algorithm to moderate the marks given to students by their teachers to try and stop massive grade inflation.
But one by one, Scotland, then Northern Ireland, Wales and finally England decided to scrap the adjusted results and give students their so-called "centre assessed grades".
Image:Grades are based on teachers' predictions and were not moderated further
Over 600,000 pupils are receiving their GCSE marks today, as they consider their next options including A-levels, apprenticeships or the new T-levels beginning this autumn.
There were scenes of joy in many schools as students celebrated the anxiety finally being over in a difficult year for schools given exams and most teaching were scrapped due to COVID-19.
In Wales, the number of A and A* grades has risen to 25.9% - up from 18.4% - and the amount of people getting above a C rose to 74.5% from 62.8%.
And in Northern Ireland, 37.1% of students got an A or A*, up by by 5.7% compared to last year, with the proportion of those given above a C standing at 89.4% - up 7.6%.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted from his holiday in Scotland to congratulate students getting their results, saying: "I know the last few months have been tough and this isn't how you imagined you would be finishing Year 11, but you can be proud of how you helped to keep the virus under control.
"You have literally saved lives through staying at home and keeping distance from others. Thank you for protecting yourselves, your families and your communities this year."
Analysis: Pupils feeling relieved but frustrated By Laura Bundock, Sky correspondent
In any other year there would be celebrations for a record-breaking set of GCSE results.
Pass rates are up across the board, as are the number of students awarded grade 7 or higher.
Take a look at maths - two thirds of pupils passed their GCSE this year, that's up 11% on the previous year.
And there's been a 40% increase in the number of grade 9's awarded. That's the very top mark.
But of course this has been no ordinary year, these are grades for exams that weren't sat.
Results instead - the product of a computer algorithm - increased if teacher predictions were higher.
For pupils there is a sense of relief but also frustration, given they've had to watch the fiasco of A-levels unfold before their results were finally sorted.
And for BTec students that frustration and confusion could continue for many days.
Are you a student getting your results today? Get in touch with Sky News :: WhatsApp - 07583 000853 :: Email - news@sky.com :: 'Your Report' on Sky News apps
