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A-level top grades have risen again to reach a record high outside of the Covid years, while a record number of students have been accepted onto UK degree courses.
Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland discovered their exam results on Thursday morning, with many finding out if they would progress to university, an apprenticeship or work.
More than a quarter (28.3 per cent) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.5 percentage points on last year when 27.8 per cent achieved the top grades. This was higher than in 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic, when 25.4 per cent of entries were awarded A or A* grades – and marks the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, according to the figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The proportion of UK entries awarded the top A* grade this year has also risen, by 0.1 percentage points to 9.4 per cent, and it is higher than when it stood at 7.7 per cent in 2019.
However, the gap between the proportion of A-level entries in London awarded the highest grades and those in north-east England now stands at 9.2 percentage points, up from 7.4 points last year – and the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to analysis.
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Students receive their A-level results at Solihill School on Thursday (Jacob King/PA Wire)
Boys have outperformed girls in terms of top grades for the first time in seven years. Overall, 28.4 per cent of boys’ A-level entries scored an A* or A this summer, compared to 28.2 per cent of their female classmates’ entries.
The overall pass rate – the proportion of entries graded A* to E – has also risen to 97.5 per cent this year, which is up on last year (97.2 per cent) and the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (97.6 per cent).
Meanwhile, new Ucas figures show, for 18-year-olds in the UK, 255,130 applicants have been accepted on to a university or college course – up 4.7 per cent on last year.
Overall, 82 per cent of UK 18-year-old applicants awaiting a decision on results day secured their first choice – which was the same proportion as last year.
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Students receive their A-level results at Solihill School on Thursday (Jacob King/PA Wire)
In England, 11,909 students received their T-level results in the fourth year that the qualification has been awarded and 91.4 per cent achieved at least a pass.
The number of T-level entries has increased by 61.4 per cent on last year, while the number of A-level entries has fallen by 0.5 per cent compared to 2024.
Students who are receiving their A-level, T-level and Level 3 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results were in Year 8 when schools closed because of the pandemic.
Ucas chief Dr Jo Saxton highlighted how this year’s students were just thirteen when the Covid pandemic hit, turning their secondary schooling “upside down”.
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Mazvita Hlubanyana (left) and Akif Ghany receive their A-level results at The Latimers Arts College in Barton Seagrave, Northamptonshire, on Thursday (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
She said: “It’s great to see these applicants securing a university place in record numbers, seeking more education and investing in their futures. I am equally delighted to see how universities across the country have responded to their ambition.”
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson described exam results day as “a time for celebration” for young people across the country as she told BBC Breakfast there has been a “steadying of the ship” after the disruption from the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: “Whether A-Levels, T-Levels or technical and vocational qualifications, I wish everyone the very best of luck, and offer my heartfelt thanks to the fantastic teachers, staff and parents who’ve supported them to this milestone.”
However, education leaders have warned of “stark” divides in results between different regions because of the legacy of Covid-19 and socio-economic factors.
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Students receive their A-level results at Ark Academy in London on Thursday (Lucy North/PA Wire)
The latest Ofqual figures show wide regional differences in outcomes, with the North East the only region in England to see a drop in the proportion of top grades down on last year and 2019.
Calling for “more attention” to be paid to the issue, Jill Duffy, chairwoman of JCQ board of directors and chief executive of the OCR exam board, warned: “Regional inequalities are getting worse, not better.
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Students receive their A-level results at Ark Academy in London on Thursday (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
More follows on this breaking news story…