Students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are celebrating record A-level results, with over a quarter of entries achieving at least a grade A. This marks the third consecutive year of rising top grades, reaching the highest proportion outside of the COVID-19 pandemic years.
In total, 28.5% of UK entries were awarded an A or A*, surpassing last year's 28.3% and 2019's 25.4%. The A* grade alone was achieved by 9.6% of entries, up from 9.4% the previous year. These figures are the highest on record when excluding the pandemic-affected years of 2020-2022, during which grades were inflated due to teacher assessments.
Boys have extended their lead over girls in achieving top grades. This year, 28.9% of male entries received an A or A*, compared to 28.0% of female entries. This is the second consecutive year boys have led in these top grades, following a period from 2020-2024 when girls were ahead. The gap in A* grades also widened, with boys achieving 10.2% compared to 9.1% for girls.
University Admissions and Subject Trends
A record 446,690 applicants were accepted onto university courses, an increase from 439,180 last year, according to admissions body Ucas. Dr. Jo Saxton, Ucas chief executive, noted that many of these students were in secondary school when the pandemic disrupted their education, highlighting the significance of their achievements.
Maths remains the most popular subject for the 13th year, with 115,380 entries. Psychology, biology, and chemistry maintained their positions as the second, third, and fourth most popular subjects, respectively. Economics entered the top five for the first time, replacing business studies.
Analysis of Grade Increases
Sir Ian Bauckham, head of exam regulator Ofqual, stated that the rise in grades is not due to artificial inflation but is largely driven by an increase in maths entries, a subject known for producing more top grades. "It's a successful subject, maths A-level is a significant driver of economic growth, and we know that it correlates to higher earning potential for those people who hold A-level maths in their future lives," Bauckham said.
Professor Alan Smithers of Buckingham University attributed the trend to a shift towards quantitative subjects like economics, further maths, and maths, which are more likely to award top grades. This year marks the fourth year since marking returned to normal following the pandemic, during which grades were significantly inflated due to cancelled exams and teacher-assessed marks. While marking has normalized, the proportion of A grades has remained slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Regional and Gender Disparities
London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded A or A* grades at 32.7%, while the north-east England and East Midlands regions had the lowest at 23.1%. The gap between London and these regions is the largest since the current grading system began in 2010. Northern Ireland had a higher percentage of top grades (30.7%) compared to Wales (29.6%) and England (28.3%).
Of the 906,425 A-levels awarded this year, a total of 78.4% of entries received a C or above, an increase from 77.9% last year and the highest outside the pandemic. The overall pass rate (A* to E) remained stable at 97.5%.