A-LEVEL students across the UK have been awarded a higher proportion of A and A* grades this year than last, national figures show.
Even as grading returned to pre-pandemic standards, 27.8 per cent of students have earned top grades – up from 27.2 per cent in 2023.
This is also significantly higher than the 25.4 per cent recorded in 2019, the last year of exams before the pandemic
The proportion of entries awarded the prestigious A* grade has also risen to 9.3 per cent, up from 8.9 per cent in 2023, marking the highest percentage since the A* was introduced in 2010, excluding the pandemic years.
Key Statistics from today:
It comes as students now face a “frantic race” for university places, with a record numbers of teens expected to apply directly for degrees through clearing, according to Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter.
The figures, released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), include A-level results from students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In England, the exams regulator Ofqual had predicted that this year’s A-level results would be similar to last year’s, when grading returned to pre-pandemic standards.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators aimed to bring grading back to pre-pandemic levels this summer, a year later than in England.
This change follows the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021, when results were based on teacher assessments rather than exams.
The students receiving their results today were in Year 9 when Covid first struck.
They are the same group who had to brave the first set of GCSE exams after two years of cancellations.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson offered her congratulations to students, telling Times Radio: “They’ve been through an awful lot in recent years, and they’ve shown tremendous resilience, and they’ve had fantastic support from the staff and teachers within their schools and colleges, and it’s a big and exciting day for them.”
WITH a drop in international students and domestic tuition fee income, some universities are facing a financial squeeze.
Reports indicate that institutions like the University of East Anglia (UEA), Kent, York, and Sheffield Hallam are grappling with serious financial challenges.
Nick Hillman from HEPI told The I that these financial woes mean students are in a strong position to secure a spot during clearing.
He said: "Since last Friday, universities know what people exam results are, and they’ve been matching applicants to places, deciding which ones to turn down and deciding what which ones to let in even if they got a grade or two lower than their offer.
“When people log into Ucas, they’ll be able to see if they got their place, even if they’ve flunked a grade or two.”
Last year saw a record-breaking 38,000 18-year-olds securing university places via clearing—a 14.6 per cent increase from 2022, according to Ucas statistics.
And this year, even more top universities have places up for grabs.
An analysis by the PA news agency revealed that, as of last week, 18 of the 24 prestigious Russell Group universities had vacancies on courses for English residents, totalling 3,892 courses.
This is a significant increase from last year, when only 15 Russell Group universities had vacancies, offering a total of 2,021 courses through clearing.
Today's figures also show boys have reclaimed their lead over girls in the A* grade race.
This year, 9.5 per cent of male students achieved an A*, compared to 9.1 per cent of female students, widening the gap to 0.4 percentage points from 0.3 points last year.
Boys traditionally led in A* grades before the pandemic, but girls took the top spot during the Covid years.
Now, the boys are back on top, although girls still outperform boys when both A* and A grades are combined.
Meanwhile, the divide between independent and comprehensive schools continued to grow.
Almost half (49.4 per cent) of students at independent schools achieved an A or higher, compared to just 22.3 per cent at comprehensives—a gap of 27.1 percentage points.
This chasm has widened since last year’s 25.4 points and 2019’s 24.8 points, sparking concerns about growing educational inequality.
As today’s students receive their A-level results, their grades will shape their next steps, whether that means university, vocational training, or entering the workforce.
Initial Ucas figures show the total number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen by 3 per cent on the same point last year, with 425,680 taking up places so far.
MORE than a quarter of teens will get top A-level results today — despite many of them enduring disruption in the concrete crisis.
Around 7,600 out of 825,000 pupils were in buildings made from faulty material RAAC — with many being forced to work remotely.
A one-off lift to marks has not been granted despite calls.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Young people deserve enormous credit for what they have achieved in the face of huge disruption of recent years.”
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