this is bbc news. the headlines at 2: net migration to the uk falls by a quarter — it's at its lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk since lastjune‘s brexit vote. the number of students getting top gcse grades in maths and english has fallen slightly — after the introduction of new tougher exams. the system is designed to to ensure that whenever there is a new gcse, the students taking that gcse for the first time won't be disadvantaged. a 25—year—old woman is jailed for ten years for making a series of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. also in the next hour: thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa come underfire from all sides. the syrian army says it's gaining ground driving out the militants — we'll look at the toll on civilians. the husband of a woman who was knocked down and killed by a cyclist calls for a change to the law to tackle ‘irresponsible

and reckless‘ actions. and, aged between a0 and 60? get out on regular brisk walks, says public health england, to prevent cancer, heart disease and poor mental health. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. there's been a sharp fall in the number of eu citizens migrating to the uk. net migration — the difference between those entering and leaving the uk — fell 81,000 to 246,000 in the year to march. the office for national statistics said the figures suggest migrants from eastern and central european countries, the so called eu8 nations, have been returning home. despite today's falling figures, the government remains well short of its target of bringing net migration below 100,000. adina campbell reports.

could today's new numbers be the early signs of brexit? net migration — the difference between those entering and leaving the uk — fell to 246,000 in the year to march 2017. that is a drop of 81,000 in the previous year. much of that figure is down to net migration of eu citizens falling by 51,000. but despite the figures, the government remains short of its target of bringing net migration below 100,000. since the eu referendum, we have seen falls in net migration for eu citizens, in particular those for eastern european and that's been driven by emigration of eastern

european citizens. the office of national statistics figures show a rise in people from the so—called eu 8 countries leaving the uk. but experts say the net migration figure is still too high. the level is still quarter of a million a year. that is a massive number for net migration. that is what is going to drive our population up by half a million every year for the indefinite future. so that means building a city the size of birmingham every two years. this cafe in london serves scandinavian food, but advertising for staff is proving expensive. it normally costs £200, but now it is £2,000. they may not choose london because of brexit and what might happen and they want some form of security and knowledge they can stay and work in the country. finding staff here may be

difficult, but the government said it wants to get immigration even lower. labour says that could harm the economy. we welcome people from around the world and people from all over europe who, three million of whom, are in the country, contributing to our society and playing an important part in our economy and we need to make sure we continue to welcome people. but we need to be clear we will have more control of our borders. the nhs in parts of england are facing parts of nurse recruitment, because of the reduction of eu citizens. we need stability and to have migration based on the needs of the uk. as well as these new migration figures, new data from exit checks at ports and airports has also been released. the data revealed when it comes to international students, one of the biggest groups of immigrants, the results were not what some thought.

9796 results were not what some thought. 97% left when they finished their courses and therefore didn't abuse their visas. and to build a clearer picture of this, the government has announced that its going to start a new investigation, looking at the impact of international students on the uk's society and economy. the study‘s expected to be completed by september 2018. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo is in westmister. the picture is still confused, you wonder why the government sets a target at all? yes that target of bringing net migration still remains a target for the government and brandon lewis, the immigration minister, did welcome the fall, saying the government wasn't complacent about bringing net migration down to what he called sustainable levels. what is interesting about these figures from

the office for national statistic and they say it is too early to say if the figures are an indication of a much longer trend, they do say though the referendum result could be influencing people's decisions, these figures are the first full indication, the first full look at immigration since that vote to leave the eu last year. we know over all net migration is down. the interesting thing is more than half of that change is due to a change in net migration of eu citizens. net migration falling for eu citizens. last year we saw more people than we have seen previously from the eu leaving the uk and in addition to that, we saw fewer people arriving to the uk from the eu. those people who were on the remain side of the argument are saying, this is a huge brexit of eu citizens and will

damage our economy and they're calling on the government to provide certainty for eu citizens resident here, saying that the government needs to unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu sit sentence currently here. —— citizens currently here. the government said when we leave the eu the country will have a greater grip on migration and its borders, but that controversial target to bring net migration down does still remain and whilst we talk about net migration falling, clearly the government is still a long way away from getting that migration down to the tens of thousand. what ami down to the tens of thousand. what am i missing? it doesn't come a surprise, if we vote to leave the eu that people in the eu will think twice about coming here. that is right. while the negotiations go on

of course eu citizens here and we hear about people being concerned, they don't know what will happen to them. but the government is reassuring people and saying, we wa nt to reassuring people and saying, we want to be able to welcome eu citizens and we want you to keep coming here. that doesn't take away the real life decisions that people have having to make about where to locate and to bring their families and whichjob locate and to bring their families and which job to take. another thing that we should remember is the situation with the pound and of course we have seen situation with the pound and of course we have seen the pound drop and that has led to people thinking, well, if i'm not earning as much in the uk, as i could be back at home or if it is more or less the same, what is the points in uprooting, travelling and living here in the uk? so some are saying, that there are spanish people working in the nhs who are deciding to stay in spain or polish people, we used to see large numbers of them coming to

the uk. the government of poland and others, those are some of the countries where we are seeing fewer peopling come from to the uk. thank you. the number of teenagers gaining the highest gcse grades has fallen slightly, after exam boards moved to a tougher system. for the first time, students in england have been graded from 9 to1 in english language, english literature and maths, with 9 being the top mark. our education correspondent gillian hargreaves has been spending the day at outwood academy in sheffield. yes, across england and wales and northern ireland, thousands of stu d e nts northern ireland, thousands of students will have received their gcse results. i have spent the morning with pupils at this school as they have opened the fateful envelopes. you know the routine - the journey. the wait. envelopes. you know the routine - thejourney. the wait. the nerves. then the results. oh, college, i

have got in, i'm all right.|j then the results. oh, college, i have got in, i'm all right. i passed everything. pretty good, i'm proud of myself. in england a new grading system for english and maths, but only a few will achieve the top grade 9. grade 4 has been compared to an old—style grade c and is considered a standard pass. but the government says the new grade 5 should be considered what they call a strong pass. i have onlyjust passed maths, by a little bit. it is fine. in fact, some maths papers we re fine. in fact, some maths papers were so challenging in england you only needed 18% to pass. the subject content is significantly harder and the higher maths paper, some of the old a—level content is there, people can take confidence that these results will be world class. which is why there have been the changes

this year. the government wants stu d e nts this year. the government wants students such as these to compete with the best in the world. we want out with the best in the world. we want our young people to be equipped to do well in the world of work in a competitive global economy. and so it has been necessary the new grading system has been introduced to draw a distension between the new and the old gcses. the combination of old and new exams has caused confusion and the unions say the change has been too quick.|j confusion and the unions say the change has been too quick. i think we will look back and say it has been distracted. the important thing is to let the teacher teach and we should focus on the lower and middle ability. if we focus on the top end we gle next them further. the next

challenge will be explaining the results to employers. at this business they take on several 16—year—olds'd year. but the owner isn't sure. i will be confused, over time we will work it out. a standard pass, i think that's, that would be our border line. a 4. definitely. pass, i think that's, that would be our border line. a 4. definitelym is not just pupils our border line. a 4. definitelym is notjust pupils in england who have been picking up results. welsh stu d e nts have been picking up results. welsh students have been finding out how they fared in new tougher exams. ministers are determined to make gcses harder, to end what some see as dumbing down. this year's results, the first of the reformed exams, are putting those ambitions to the test too. now, just to illustrate how hard it is to get that top grade 9, we have been told

bearing in mind in 600,000 16—year—olds sit these exams each year, only 2,000 of them have got that top grade 9 in english language, literature and maths — the three reformed exams in england. so i think that illustrates how tough it is to get that top grade to distinguish the ultrabright compared to the very bright. we can now speak to the former schools minister, david laws who is chairman of the education policy institute. he's in our westminster studio. it was interesting listen to that employ, saying i don't know what i'm looking at. one thinks of employers, the ones that everyone will have to impress in the real world? the ones that everyone will have to impress in the realworld? this the ones that everyone will have to impress in the real world? this will be confusing. there is no doubt for pa rents, be confusing. there is no doubt for parents, for employers, getting used toa parents, for employers, getting used to a new grading system is going to ta ke to a new grading system is going to take time. but actually the exams

regulator and the department for education have done something sensible, which is as they brought in the new grades, they have allowed some of those grades to be bench marked against the old gcse grading system. so for example the proportion of students who get the new 4 grade should be roughly the same as who got the old c grade. so there is some read across from the old system to the new, but it will ta ke old system to the new, but it will take time for there to be a proper national understanding of the new system. the question that flows from that, why change it in the first place? if we look at the background, why the last government took this decision, what we have had for a period of years was exam results going up year after year after year, and more students appearing to do better and yet when we looked at the inter—national league tables and the independent tests taken by students across the world, what we found was

english students from this country we re english students from this country were not doing any better. so the gcse results and this independent measure of standards appeared to be out of kilter. what the government tried to do was get rid of the so—calmed inflation of grade standards, but they tried to bench mark the new accepted pass in england under the new gcses at the level that we would need to get our stu d e nts level that we would need to get our students passing in we were to compare with the first countries in the world. the education policy institute have been looking at whether the government has succeeded in doing that. what we have found is that they do seem to have made the rightjudgment. that they do seem to have made the right judgment. and if that they do seem to have made the rightjudgment. and if students get an average of the new grade 5, in gcses... an average of the new grade 5, in gcses. . . that an average of the new grade 5, in gcses. .. that is a strong pass? yes, then england would be performing at then england would be performing at the level of the best nations in the world in subjects like maths and english. that compares with the old

pass mark which was a c. so one of the things the government is trying to do is refocus our system to say, look, if we want to be world class, c, the new grade 4, isn't good enough and we need to aim for grade 5. but students can't be expected to get from 4 to 5 over night. that is why it will take time and it is sensible for employers and others to compare the new system with the other. it isn't easy, when i was the minister it took me a while to work out whether at 9 was higher than a 1. you were at the department, were there are disagreements between you and michael gove at the time? there

was some disagreements. the reforms started with a proposition from people around michael gove, that we should go to the old days of separate exams for different ability students. we didn't want that, we wa nt students. we didn't want that, we want and exam that was accessible to all. but there were debates about making sure the interests of lower ability students were taken into account. that is one of things that we need to look at closely over the next couple of years as the new system next couple of years as the new syste m co m es next couple of years as the new system comes in. we know the new system comes in. we know the new system is likely to be good for the most able student and stretch them more and allow us to see through the grading system who those really exceptional students are, we need to make sure that students at the bottom end of the ability range who are taking the more testing exams also get adequate support so that they are not left behind. that will be important over the next few yea rs. be important over the next few years. i don't know what your remember of gcse day is, mine is

grim, in terms of what the reaction is when you get home, you have got a generation of youngsters who are being asked, i don't know what that means, employers, going i'm not sure, in 2017, how does that compare with 2015? it is going to be very difficult and one has to have sympathy with the youngsters who have worked hard and will try to persuade people they have done better than they feel they have? yes i have got sympathy with the changes, there are a massive number and we need to try to avoid having more instability. i think the youngsters will get the system quickly. it is explaining this to people of my generation and employers that will be tricky. but the government have set the new grade standards versus the old ones, so you can compare. if you're an

employer and the c grade mattered, you need to look for the new 4 and if you were interested in candidates getan a, if you were interested in candidates get an a, you're looking for a grade 7. there is an ability to read across from the old system to the new system and that is what we need to focus on. i bet the students getting the grades understand the system better than the older generation. how did you do in yours? i was of course, i'm so old i was taking the o—levels, i was under a different system. nicely dealt with. you don't want me to run through my results. no, you were obviously hugely successful. you wouldn't be here otherwise! thank you. and at 2.30, we'll be putting your questions tojulie swan from the exam regulator quual. we'll have all the information about how the new gcses work but do send us in your questions.

you can text us on 61124 or tweet using the hashtag bbcaskthis. that's at 2.30 here on bbc news. now it is 20 past 2. the headlines: net migration to the uk fall base quarter. it is at its lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk. the number of students getting top gcse grades in maths and english has fallen slightly. a 25—year—old woman has been jailed for fallen slightly. a 25—year—old woman has beenjailed for ten fallen slightly. a 25—year—old woman has been jailed for ten years for making a series of false accusation of rape and sexual assault. and in sport, two new faces will be part of the england team against malta in the england team against malta in the world cup qualifier. all the details on the week sport web—site. the big money showdown —

conor mcgregor and floyd mayweather come face to face ahead of their clash this weekend. the american is the favourite to win and make it 50 wins in his career. and sir mo farah is getting ready for a final farewell on the track in zurich tonight where he'll run over 5,000 metres. he's swapping the stadium for roads, to run marathons instead. i'm back with more after half past. a woman who made a series of false rape and sexual assault allegations has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. joining me now from southwark crown court is our correspondent, sarah corker. who is she, what did she do? well thejudge described who is she, what did she do? well the judge described jemma beale as an attention—seeker, one man even went to prison for two years, because of her false claims. the stories started in 2010 and over four years, she falsely accused 15

men of rape and sexual assault. in sentencing her thejudge men of rape and sexual assault. in sentencing her the judge said, you're a very convincing liar and enjoy being seen as a victim. he said that while fortunately these types of cases are rare, they bring a risk that a woman who has been raped or assaulted may not complain to police for fear of not being believed. he said it has been a waste of public time and money. the police estimate it has cost them a quarter of a million pounds and wasted more than 6,000 hours in police time. the police said that beale would pretend she had been injured and actually injure herself to make her stories more plausible. and she made up these lies to get the attention of her then partner and in sentencing her to 10 years in prison, he outlined that the men she

had falsely accused would have to live with the implications of those false allegations for the rest of her life. she was jailed for ten year and will serve half of that sentence and then be released on licence. thank you. thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa are coming under fire from all sides, as the battle for control of the city enters its final stage. amnesty international says hundreds of people have been killed or injured since june, when the offensive began to recapture raqqa, which is the stronghold of so—called islamic state. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in the syrian town of homs. this amnesty report is heartbreaking and chilling. it is set in the context of the last months, the final battles to destroy the so—called caliphate of the islamic state in syria and raqqa, the city you mentioned, was there their self

declared capital. as the war goes into raqqa, civilians are trapped in what are called the deadly labyrinth. each direction they turn they come under fire, whether from snipers and booby traps or if it escapes, it is under fire from snipers and booby traps or if it escapes, it is underfire from air strikes. so the report is a cry for come passion and for protection. even in war there are rules and the rules of war are being shattered day m, rules of war are being shattered day in, day out here. more than six million adults in england fail to have a brisk 10 minute walk even once a month. that's a finding from public health england which has launched a campaign to encourage the practice, particularly among people who are middle aged — the public health body says walking can help prevent cancer, heart disease and poor mental health. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports.

in denton, in manchester, the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle. this walking group is starting slowly, but already some members are feeling the benefits of a regular stroll. i've lost about four stone. have you? yeah. four stone, wow. gone down from virtually 25 to 21. that's impressive. so it does help. it's got me out, it's got me getting some exercise. and it's company as well, because i live on my own so that helps a lot. this is week two for me, i'm a newbie. and i decided when i retired that i wanted to do lots of different things. and i've done lots of things to keep the mind going, but not a lot to keep the body going. the beauty of walking is, of course, it's free. you don't need any special training or indeed any special kit. but health experts say doing just ten minutes of brisk walking every day, well, that can have a really positive impact on your health. our lifestyles have changed. compared to the 1960s, we are now 20% less active.

and each year we walk 15 miles less than we did just two decades ago. physical inactivity amongst adults contributes to one in six deaths in the uk. it is estimated to cost the nhs nearly £1 billion a year. but a brisk walk of just ten minutes each day can reduce the risk of early death by 15%. gp doctor, zoe williams, advises her patients that it's walking at a good pace, around three miles an hour, that is the key. practising what she preaches, she uses a smartphone app to measure her own progress. but according to a public health england survey of our exercise habits, millions of adults are missing out. four in ten adults between the ages of 40 and 60 are not managing to achieve ten minutes of brisk walking per month. which sounds unbelievable. lots of those people will be walking, but they are not walking at a brisk pace. and it's important to

walk briskly because that's when you start to get the health benefits. but for many of us it's finding the time in an already busy day. i drive to work and it is timing really, trying to find the time. generally i would rather drive than walk because i need to get there in a hurry. so generally not, no. not every day, we probably do about one and a half miles twice a day and about one mile in the middle of that. you can always make time. one less cake, one more walk! walking can help with weight loss, back pain, long—term conditions like diabetes, and even reducing the risk of cancer. now we are all being urged to get up and get moving. dominic hughes, bbc news. now the weather. a mixture of sunshine and showers as we move

through the next few days. the best of the brightness in the south—east and the risk of rain and showers in the north—west. this afternoon some showers across northern ireland and western scotland. a few showers in the east of scotland what could be heavy and into northern england as well. drier and brighter in southern and central england. tonight it will be dry for much of wales and central and southern england. for northern ireland and western scotland and north—west england some rain. lows of between 12 and 14 celsius. tomorrow, it is a similar set up. the south—east doing the best for the brightness. some rain in northern ireland and western scotland. some dry and bright weather. a temperatures up on today in the south—east at 25 celsius. good afternoon, you're watching bbc news. the headlines:

net migration has fallen to the lowest level for three years after a surge in the number of eu nationals leaving the uk since lastjune's brexit vote. the ons figures show that immigration from all countries has fallen — and emigration has also risen. gcses passes overall have dropped slightly across the range of subjects. new, tougher exams were sat for the first time in a number of subjects — by pupils in england, wales and northern ireland. a 25—year—old woman has been jailed for ten years for making a series of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. jemma beale made the claims against 15 victims. thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa come under fire from all sides. the syrian army says it's gaining ground driving out the militants — we'll look at the toll on civilians. the husband of a woman who was knocked down and killed by a cyclist calls for a change to the law to tackle irresponsible actions. matthew briggs has urged

reckless riders to learn from his wife's death. officials at public health england are urging those between the ages of 40 and 60 to start doing regular brisk walks amid concern high levels of inactivity may be harming their health. let's get the sport now. the england manager gareth southgate has called up leicester city's harry maguire for his first england cap. southgate named his squad for the games against malta and slovakia. maguire, who is a former under—21 internationaljoined leicester city from hull for £17 million in the summer. there's a recall for arsenal's danny wellbeck, but adam lallana misses out through injury. also getting his first chance at the senior level is watford's nathaniel chalobah. like maguire, he moves up from the under—21 level. zlatan ibrahimovic has signed a new one—year deal at manchester united. the swede joined the club in 2016 and scored 17 goals last season.

he's yet to feature this season as he makes his recovery from a knee injury that saw him miss the europa league final. alexis sanchez could make a comeback for arsenal this sunday when the gunners face liverpool at anfield. when the gunners face liverpool at anfield. manager arsene wenger says the chilean international is available and if he is picked it will be his first start this season after being hit with injury. wenger also says he's totally unaffected by any transfer rumours and has a lot of respect for the player. he works very hard, very focused, and it is absolutely everything, it's difficult to stop him. he looks ready. he's not played for a long time, so i will have to decide what i do with him, but he's ready to play. a diamond encrusted money belt, pride and hundreds of millions of pounds. that's what's at stake when conor mcgregor and undefeated champ floyd mayweather clash this weekend. the pair came face to face ahead of their fight which is set to be

one of the most lucrative boxing matches in history, with both fighters shying away from the typical exchange of insults. that's what it's really about. the best fighting the best. he's the best at what he do, i'm the best at what i do, but when it's all said and done, conor mcgregor is like myself. in an octagon, he's undefeated standing up. he can do a lot of this, i can do a lot of this, but it comes down to the skills. it comes down to us fighting and competing and giving you guys what you want to see. when you face a man you're about to fight, it's very hard to keep everything in check, you make mistakes and errors and you slip up, i'm only human. i think the whole lot of it, there's many ups and downs, it's nice to come full circle but i think the overall experience of it has been great for boxing, mixed martial arts and combat sport around the world.

at the end of the day, we are two athletes who are just risking it all and we should be respected for that. sir mo farah is getting ready for a final farewell on the track in zurich tonight where he'll run over 5,000 metres. his incredible career has seen him win ten world and olympic gold medals. but it's not the last we'll hearfrom him. he's swapping the stadium for roads, to run marathons instead. no matter who you are, you've got to fight for it. and their medals that i've won doesn't take me to the line. i got go in there fresh, there's going to be new guys and they run a lot faster than me. so it's about how i get to them, what do i need to learn from them, what does it take? team sky's geraint thomas will return to cycling for the tour of britain next month, with team—mate and compatriot owain doull also set to compete. the welshman was second overall when he broke his collarbone in a fall at last month's tour de france. the tour of britain starts in edinburgh in september and will finish in the welsh riders'

home city of cardiff. that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. thank you very much. the number of teenagers gaining the highest gcse grades has fallen slightly, after exam boards moved to a tougher system. for the first time, students in england have been graded from 9 to! in english language, english literature and maths, with 9 being the top mark. a lot of you getting in touch. the new system for grading some gcse‘s can seem a little confusing. to answer some of your questions i'm joined byjulie swan from the exam regulator quual. thank you for coming in. we have had a question on twitter, who says... what is the purpose of introducing a harder exam system? the government decided it was

tainted a fresh gcses which have beenin tainted a fresh gcses which have been in place for some time. just to make sure the content is up—to—date. the government also wanted to make sure the content was more challenging, particularly for more able students to make sure they were stretched, to better be prepared to progress into work, into a levels, or vocational qualifications. lets not forget that a—levels are being changed as well. it is to compete with young people across the world, they wanted them to be prepared to compete with them. simple to recognise that the new gcses and intended for the full range of students. isn't there a danger that if you're concentrating on the higher attaining students that those further down will inevitably suffer because people obsessed with what's going on at the top? it is an

important point you make, and has been a lot of discussion today about the grade nine that we have put in place. it is an opportunity for me to remind people perhaps that it is not just the to remind people perhaps that it is notjust the grade nine that has changed, we have introduced additional grades mid range as well. so in the past where we had c and b grades, we had five and six, and we now have seven and eight at the top, so there is an opportunity for all stu d e nts to so there is an opportunity for all students to show what they can do. why change english language and literature plus mathematics to grades 1—9 and have the other grades stay the same? gcses g cs es cover gcses cover a whole range of subjects, and it would not be possible or manageable, for the exam boards to change them all in one go, orfor boards to change them all in one go, or for teachers boards to change them all in one go, orfor teachers to be boards to change them all in one go, or for teachers to be able to cope with that amount of change. english and maths underpins many subjects. it is maths in science, for example,

you need to be able to express yourself clearly in subjects to succeed, so we decided those were the subjects we should start with. those are the subjects taken by more students. it is important to note that in due course all gcses in all subjects will follow the same model that english and maths now takes, being graded 9—1. by next year almost all grades will be 9—1, but they will all be changed by 2020. wouldn't it have been cheaper and simpler to bring in a new grade of a**, than to reorganise the system so that parents, teachers, students and employers are struggling to understand. if all we wanted to do was to have greater differentiation at the top, that could have been an option, but asi that could have been an option, but as i have explained there is more significant change to these qualifications, new content, new assessment arrangements and greater

differentiation in the middle band as well. if we simply stuck with the initial grading it would have been less obvious to employers and stu d e nts less obvious to employers and students and universities that this yea r‘s students students and universities that this year's students had taken these reformed qualifications. so, we took the opportunity to introduce a new grading structure. pete morton has text it, if great boundaries —— grade boundaries are set to guarantee that young people are not disadvantaged, what was the point of changing the gcses exams? disadvantaged, what was the point of changing the gcses exams7m disadvantaged, what was the point of changing the gcses exams? it is not put too much focus on the grade saw the assessment. there have been two yea rs of the assessment. there have been two years of study painted a. but in the end it all comes down to the grades. but so much should be about what they have learned, their understanding, the skills they have learned after the two years of study. let us not get hung up on the grading. it is all about the experience. by changing the gca ——

gcses, they should have a better learning experience because they have not been constantly distracted by assessments. on twitter, without past papers and no time to prepare stu d e nts past papers and no time to prepare students properly, how can the 2017 new exams properly represent capabilities? we have heard a bit of this from teachers and students, it has been a bit rushed. the new content has been a bit rushed. the new co nte nt has has been a bit rushed. the new content has been available for teachers and all to see since 2014, and the resources have been available since before the start of the teaching in september 2015. the exa m the teaching in september 2015. the exam boards have made a number of practice papers available as well, but we do recognise that this is the first year that students will have taken the qualifications, the first ten teachers will have taught them, which is why it is so important to us which is why it is so important to us that we use the approach to

setting grade standards that we now as compatible outcomes to make sure this year's students are not disadvantaged in any way. why don't we have any of our marks for the english and maths papers and how can we find them out so we know if we need remarks? do you understand that question i do not think i do! i am a failed o—level student! not think i do! i am a failed o-level student! the students today will have got the grades. the teachers will be able to see what marks they got and they can pass them onto the students. is possible for the student who think that perhaps the mark does not reflect their performance in the exams to ask their teachers to seek a remark on their behalf. that is an important safeguard. we hope that all marking is right first time, but it is important in case an error has been made that there is an

opportunity for a student to ask for the mark to be reviewed. and the student would like to see the mark to know whether perhaps an error has been made in their marking. has a student of the written to you to say they did not think they were that good! not to my knowledge! on a human level, it is a day for celebration, and a lot of hard work has gone on. we always tend to focus on the top. what about those who have not done as well, who will feel there is no hope? we are all obsessing with the higher grades, and those at the lower end, perhaps under the strong passes, as the new grade five is, what advice would you give? the first thing to say is we should recognise that for many students, some of the lower grades will still represent massive achievements for them. they will have been set their own personal targets and many will celebrate

today, even though they have not got their highest of grades. others who have missed out, it is true to say that the press and social media is full of very successful people reporting the fact that they perhaps did not do as well as they hoped in their exams, but nevertheless made a great success of their lives. you say the new system will be in place by 2020. can we work on the basis that things are not then going to change for a while? that is certainly the hope. a huge investment has been put into making changes. we have refreshed content, but has been a key part of the government's reformed to make sure it is up—to—date, a lot of thought and careful planning and consultation has taken us to where we are today. we hope we have got it right. we will evaluate the changes. how do you evaluate, how do you know if you have got it right? we are already talking to teachers, talking

to subject groups, talking to headteachers, talking to students, and we hopefully reflect what they say. but it is not our intention to rip this up and start again. what reaction have you had from teachers so far? some have said we could have done with some more time. change is a lwa ys done with some more time. change is always different, and if you have been changing for a number of years, change can be difficult. from what we have seen of the results today, i think it is true to say that most schools and teachers seem to have adapted really very well to the changes. there has been perhaps less variation in results as some might have affected, so it might have been uncomfortable and difficult at times, but it seems most of us have risen well to the challenge. what is planned for a—levels? risen well to the challenge. what is planned for a-levels? the first of the league formed a—levels were awarded last week, with less radical

change. —— first of the re—formed. we will see the a—levels come through the system... if you were grading yourself on the performance today, what would you give yourself? at the moment i think we are pleased with the way in which the results have panned out today. more than a five? i would not wish to be boastful. we can only use our best endeavours to anticipate what the results look like, but we were not too far off. you are looking relieved, i have to say! not as relieved, i have to say! not as relieved as many students today. thank you very much for coming in. there's been a sharp fall

in the number of eu citizens migrating to the uk. net migration — the difference between those entering and leaving the uk — fell 81,000 to 246,000 in the year to march. the number of students getting... and women has beenjailed for ten yea rs and women has beenjailed for ten years after making false allegations of rape and sexual assault. —— a woman. in the business news.

shares in dixons carphone have fallen sharply, down nearly 25% after warning that more expensive mobile phones and lower eu roaming charges will hurt profits. the retailer said pre—tax profits would be much lower than last year. the uk economy grew at 0.3% between april and june, according to the office for national statistics, which is unchanged from an initial reading of data for the second quarter. it's based on more up—to—date information. the number of cars built in the uk last month rose by nearly 8% compared with the same time last year. that's accorording to the society of motor manufacturers and traders. but the number of cars made in the uk in the first seven months of the year fell 1.6% to about 1 million. good afternoon. one of the world's major ratings agencies says that the united states willjeopardise its top notch credit status if it fails to reach an agreement over raising its debt ceiling. the us president is using the borrowing limit as a bargaining chip as he tries to push some

controversial policies through congress. michelle fleury joins us from the floor for the new york stock exchange. whatever you think of these rating agencies these days, this is a bad news story for the united states, and unsurprisingly donald trump has taken to twitter and unsurprisingly donald trump has ta ken to twitter about and unsurprisingly donald trump has taken to twitter about it. yes, talking about this in the last hour. to give some background to viewers, the debt limit or debt ceiling, as it is called, refers to how much the american government can borrow. there is a limit, it can only be lifted by approval from there is a limit, it can only be lifted by approvalfrom congress. we are told that by the end of september, the us will have hit the debt limit, and will need it to be approved, otherwise the treasury secretary has warned america will not be able to pay all of its debt. asa not be able to pay all of its debt. as a result, fitch ratings agency

has warned that unless the debt ceiling is raised in a timely manner, it will have an effect on america's top—notch rating. people are expecting this to be a fairly rocky month ahead of tough negotiations. we saw the president yesterday tweeting about a government shutdown, which led to a different issue about the government budget and spending bills. today he took to twitter again, attacking paul ryan and mitch mcconnell, saying they gave him an opportunity —— he gave them an opportunity to tie the debt ceiling to another bill about the department of veteran affairs that was easier to pass, which might have given them an easy victory, and what we're seeing is the president doubling down on the attacks we have seen between, mitch mcconnell, clearly this points to

perhaps some negotiations ahead. mcconnell, clearly this points to perhaps some negotiations aheadm other news, we're seeing us treasury yield edging higher today, because investors are sort of waiting for the big meeting tomorrow injackson hole, where the great and good of the financial world, a lot of bank leaders getting together to talk. what do we expect to come out of the meeting tomorrow? this is the big hoopla of the year. the annual shindig injackson hoopla of the year. the annual shindig in jackson hole. hoopla of the year. the annual shindig injackson hole. we have seenin shindig injackson hole. we have seen in past years during the financial crisis when central banks around the world started unveiling extraordinary measures to prop up the global economy, often some of the global economy, often some of the ideas were floated at this specific event. this year, the expectation is perhaps it might be quite subdued. there are a couple of

reasons. if you look at the united states, janet yellen, her term at the central bank ends next year, and it is now clear at —— there are no thoughts as to whether she will stay on or be invited to say on. many people think she will not say too much under the circumstances, not wanting to pre—empt events next year. yes, janet yellen and another speaker tomorrow. thank you very much. let us have a look at some of the european markets today. britain's economy rose in the second

quarter despite some uncertainty over the brexit situation. i will be backin over the brexit situation. i will be back in the next hour with another update. a brain damaged violinist has performed in concert with her best friend, 29 years after a devastating accident left her unable to to play. in a ground—breaking project, rosemaryjohnson was wired up to a computer using specialist software, allowing her to compose and play music again. this month, for the first time, she was able to perform with fellow musician alison balfour, a friend from her days with the welsh national opera orchestra. let's have a look at the project in action. this is the computer reading her brainwaves. that moment was magical. the idea of playing with rosy again

after so many years was something i never imagined would be possible. —— rosie. earlier alison balfour — a friend and fellow musician — told the victoria derbyshire programme about her experience playing alongside rosie again. it was a privilege.

i felt honoured to be playing with rosie after all this time. it was extraordinary to see her reaction to see what was possible, notjust for rosie but for possibly many other people. tell us more about her before the accident and your friendship? well, we were not best friends. she was a bit younger than me. but we are all together in an orchestra, and we are all violinists together. and when she had this accident, we all felt utterly broken. and it took a long time to get over that. people will know, of course, that listening to music can be transformational for your feelings. how much do you think it has meant to her to do this? well, i hope it has meant quite a lot to her.

her reaction when we were doing the recordings was wonderful to see. she looked so happy, she was smiling and she had a look of total exhilaration, i have to say. and what do you take away from it? the wonder of what can happen with technology, its extraordinary. are you hoping that you will be able to do more with her, going forward? i would like to, who knows? a remarkable story. let us catch up with the weather forecast with lucy martin. a fairly settled spell of weather over the next few days. the best of the brightness in the south—east, but always a chance to see showers and more prolonged

spells in the north—west, thanks to this area of low pressure. the high pressure is further south, where we will see the best of the brightness. this photograph earlier show sunshine and blue skies. further north in cumbria, there is more in the way of cloud. we have seen some showers in wales and the south—west, but they should move away as we head through the afternoon. as we move through the afternoon. as we move through the afternoon. as we move through the rest of this afternoon, this is how things will stay. showers across northern ireland, a bit more in the way of cloud in the west of scotland, good spells of brightness in the east, but potentially some showers. starting to brighten up nicely and drying up as we move further south. there could be the odd isolated shower in wales. as we head into the south—east, temperatures reaching 22 degrees, mostly dry with sunny

spells. some shoddy outbreaks of rain across northern ireland as we head into the evening. that could become more persistent temperatures falling to an overnight low of 14 or 15. tomorrow we start with a similar setup. low—pressure towards the north—west and higher pressure down south. for england and wales it is dry and read, with good spells of sunshine developing. temperatures will be up on today, with some areas reaching 25. on saturday, fairly similar. heavy showers across scotla nd similar. heavy showers across scotland on saturday, and warmest in the south—east of england, with 25 degrees. on sunday, there is a

chance of seeing some showers moving into the midlands, but on monday they will become —— it will become increasingly unsettled and breezy. this is bbc news. the headlines at 3: net migration to the uk falls by a quarter — to 246,000 a year — the lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk since the brexit vote. the number of students getting top gcse grades in maths and english has fallen slightly, after the introduction of new tougher exams. the system is designed to to ensure that whenever there is a new gcse, the students taking that gcse for the first time won't be disadvantaged. a 25—year—old woman is jailed for ten years for making a series of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. also in the next hour: thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa come underfire from all sides. the syrian army says it's gaining ground driving out the militants.