Exam boards are to change the way they compare the grades of boys and girls to include a category for students who do not identify with either gender.

In the future, non-binary pupils will have the option of signalling to exam boards that they do not wish to be classed as either male or female.

Sharon Hague, senior vice president of Pearson Qualification Services, which owns the exam board Edexcel, said: “We know that this is something young people feel strongly about. We are working with [the charity] Stonewall to look at how we might reflect that in the way in which we capture information in future.”

Ms Hague said that exam boards already have a process in place for transgender student who transition after sitting their exams, and want to change the information on their certificate to reflect their new identity.