The proportion of candidates receiving top grades in their A-Level exams has increased on last year, with more than one-quarter getting As and A*s.
Across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland on Thursday, hundreds of thousands of pupils received their exam results, with grades higher than before the COVID-19 lockdown era.
Some 27.8 percent of students got an A or A*, up from 27.2 percent in 2023 and above the 25.4 percent seen in 2019.
In terms of A*s alone, 9.3 percent received the top score, an increase on 2023 (8.9 percent) and higher than in 2019 (7.7 percent).
A total of 4,135 people in England managed to score three A* grades—a considerable accomplishment, as the A* grade, introduced in 2010, requires a student to pass the subject with at least a score of 90 percent.
This proportion of three A* grade students is an increase on 3,820 in 2023 and 2,785 in 2019.
The overall pass rate (all grades from E to A*) was an incredibly high 97.2 percent, though this is down from 97.3 percent on last year and at its lowest since 2008, when it also stood at 97.2 percent.
More than three-quarters (76.4 percent) of entries achieved a grade C and above, higher than 2023.
Most comparisons of grading this year excludes marks from the results of 2020 to 2022, when there was an increase in top grades after results were based on teacher assessments instead of exams due to the lockdowns.
Gender Gap Narrowing
Science subjects appeared to have been popular with A-Level students this year, with the most popular being mathematics for the 11th year in a row.Psychology was the second-most popular, followed by biology. Further mathematics also saw the largest percentage increase in entries, up 20 percent from 15,080 in 2023 to 18,082 this year.
The gender attainment gap has also narrowed, with boys catching up on girls.
Some 28 percent of girls were awarded the A and A* grades this year, just 0.4 points higher (27.6 percent) than the attainment in those top grade for boys.
The lead girls maintain is less than in 2023, when the gap was 0.6 percent.
More Students Accepted at Universities
For many candidates, getting their A-Level results is an important milestone in their academic journey towards higher education (HE).Students will also find out on Thursday if they have received firm acceptances onto their first choice or insurance place at university or college.
The University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) said that the number of students accepted onto degree courses has risen this year.
UCAS said that 82 percent of all applicants had secured a their first choice, up from 79 percent in 2023.
For 18-year-olds, 6 percent more had been accepted.
Raising Tuition Fees ‘Unpalatable’
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said in a statement, “Students should be incredibly proud of their hard work over the last two years and their achievements today—I know many will be planning their next step, whether that’s university, venturing into the world of work or starting an apprenticeship.”Phillipson appeared on media outlets throughout the morning discussing the results, and was asked on Sky News whether or not the new Labour government would increase home tuition fee caps within the next five years.
The minister responded that while she recognised the funding challenges that universities were facing, “I think that’s a really unpalatable thing to be considering.”
“Not least because I know that lots of students across the country are already facing big challenges around the cost of living, housing costs, lots of students I speak to who are already working lots of jobs, extra hours, in order to pay for their studies,” she said, adding that the government intends to reform the system overall.
