Sixth-formers in England are enjoying a bumper crop of top A-level results, surpassing previous pre-pandemic highs in the proportion of A* and A grades awarded, thanks in part to strong performances in maths and sciences.
In maths, which had more than 100,000 A-level candidates nationally for the first time, a record 42% of 18-year-olds in England got A* or As, while a third of entrants got the highest grades in physics and chemistry.
But there was a different picture in Wales and Northern Ireland, where the proportions of top grades awarded fell compared with last year, in a return to pre-pandemic grade boundaries, although results in Northern Ireland remained better than those in England.
In England alone, 9.3% of entries gained A* grades, while 27.6% got A and A*s. Other than in 2020, 2021 and 2022, when awards were distorted by Covid, this year’s results are higher than any year since the A* grade was introduced in 2010.
Ian Bauckham, the head of Ofqual, England’s exam regulator, said that grading standards had been maintained since last year, and described the outcomes as “broadly similar” to 2023.
In Northern Ireland 30.3% of entrants got A or A*, down by seven percentage points compared with 2023, while in Wales the proportion fell from 34% to 27.6%. But both remained higher than the equivalent in 2019.
Lynne Neagle, the education secretary for Wales, said: “This year, for the first time since the pandemic, A-level and AS Levels exams and assessments took place with the same arrangements as pre-pandemic. The results are what we hoped to see and are broadly similar to pre-pandemic outcomes.”
England’s increase in top grades – the result of a more able cohort of sixth-formers, according to the exam regulator Ofqual – was tempered by regional and social inequalities in how they were distributed, and in the lower proportion getting grades C or above compared with most pre-pandemic years.
At private schools – whose fees are soon to be subjected to 20% VAT – 49.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades, up from 45% in 2019. Grades at state grammar schools in England also soared, with A and A*s rising from 37% in 2019 to 41% this year.
Meanwhile academies in England increased their top grades to 26.5% of entries, while England’s remaining comprehensives increased A and A* from 20% to 22%.
Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The staff in our schools and colleges also deserve great credit for all they have done to support these young people in their courses and exams.
“While the dark days of the pandemic are in the past, its legacy continues to haunt us, as many of these students experienced severe disruption to their education. In particular, this impacted upon young people from disadvantaged backgrounds whose families were also adversely affected by the subsequent cost-of-living crisis.”
Universities reported that record numbers of applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds were being accepted on undergraduate courses starting this autumn. The Ucas admissions service said that 27,600 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds had accepted a place, above the previous high in 2021.
Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of Universities UK, said: “It is heartening to see that a record number of disadvantaged students have gained a place at a university or college this year. We know that a degree has particularly strong benefits for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and this will boost earnings and career prospects throughout their lifetimes.
“Universities are on hand to support anyone who has not received the grades they were hoping for, or any prospective student who needs advice. There are still a wide variety of courses available through clearing this year at a range of universities.”
Alongside A-levels more than 250,000 vocational and technical qualifications were awarded, with more than 22,000 top grades awarded in England, according to Ofqual, while more than 7,000 students were awarded T-levels in England, with nearly 89% gaining a pass or better in the new technical qualification.
Scotland has a different qualification system and most students received their results last week.
Source: theguardian.com
