A-level top grades reach record high outside of Covid years
Pamela Duncan
More than 800,000 students got their A-level results today – and the topline figures indicate that many will be happy with their lot – and not just the 3,890 students who achieved three A*s (smarty pantses!).
In England the proportion of A*, A, B or C grades outstripped all but the pandemic era when teacher assessments saw a spike in grades with a similar picture in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Boys, in particular, did well, with more boys than girls achieving an A* grade this year, unusual outside the Covid era. However, as in past years, more girls achieved grades of C and above. And there were fewer low grades (E and U) than in the previous two years.
Other notable trends include students’ increasing interest in STEM and business-oriented subjects, the persistence of the regional gap and a slight fall in top grades among private school students.
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Updated at 05.04 EDT
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Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has vowed to tackle the “yawning inequalities” in educational attainment.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, she said: “Alongside the post-16 white paper that we’ll be publishing later on this year, I will also bring a big focus through our schools white paper on how we tackle these thorny generational challenges where white working-class kids across our country don’t get the start that they deserve.
“Now the school system is an important part of how we respond to that, but I would say alongside it so much of this develops and opens up in the early years.
“The attainment gap that we see between less well-off students and better-off students opens up before the age of five.
“It’s why early years has been such a priority, because if we get that right then we set up children to succeed, but we will take more action in the school system to ensure that those gaps that we see, those yawning inequalities, are addressed.
“It’s something the last government failed to tackle. It is something this government will grasp.”
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Updated at 04.55 EDT
Sally Weale
As sixth formers celebrated record numbers of top grades, England’s qualifications regulator Ofqual denied that grade inflation – which became a significant issue during Covid when students were awarded teacher-assessed grades, was creeping back into the system.
At a media briefing, Ofqual’s chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham insisted: “The grading standard, the standard of work, the standard of performance the students need to demonstrate to achieve any particular grade, whether that’s an A* or an A or any other grade in the A-level spectrum, remains the same year on year, and exam boards have strict processes that involve comparing scripts with previous years and using background data on the entry cohort.
“They have strict processes to ensure that that standards stay constant from year to year and Ofqual’s job is to supervise and oversee that process, to make sure that the exam boards are implementing it rigorously, and that process has been followed this year. So we can be absolutely confident that the standard of work required to get any grade at A-level is the same this year as it was last year, and as it was in 2023.
“Of course different students entering for exams and undertaking their qualifications will mean that outcomes will vary from year to year. This year we see some significant cohort differences. The cohort is slightly smaller and slightly stronger in terms of its attainment when it started A-levels that it has been for the past few years.
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A-level top grades reach record high outside of Covid years
Pamela Duncan
More than 800,000 students got their A-level results today – and the topline figures indicate that many will be happy with their lot – and not just the 3,890 students who achieved three A*s (smarty pantses!).
In England the proportion of A*, A, B or C grades outstripped all but the pandemic era when teacher assessments saw a spike in grades with a similar picture in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Boys, in particular, did well, with more boys than girls achieving an A* grade this year, unusual outside the Covid era. However, as in past years, more girls achieved grades of C and above. And there were fewer low grades (E and U) than in the previous two years.
Other notable trends include students’ increasing interest in STEM and business-oriented subjects, the persistence of the regional gap and a slight fall in top grades among private school students.
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Updated at 05.04 EDT
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said that A-level results this year are “broadly in line with previous years”.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC, she said: “If we were to compare between years, we’d probably compare with either last year or 2019.
“Of course during the pandemic there was a lot of disruption, which I understand, and the then-Conservative government did have to make some difficult decisions about how to manage that process for our young people, but there were some problems.
“I won’t dwell on them, that is in the past now, but there were some issues at the time about how some of that was managed.
“But where we are right now is that young people receiving their results today will have been the cohort of young people who sat their GCSEs in the usual way, so did them as part of that exam assessment process that everyone would expect to be the normal way of doing things.”
Bridget Phillipson pictured in London in June. Photograph: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockShare
Universities UK chief executive, Vivienne Stern, has responded to this year’s A-level results day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
She said:
Congratulations to all the students receiving their results today, and to the teachers, families and friends that supported them to get here. With 82% of students who had an offer and received their decision this morning being accepted to their firm choice university, there is much to be celebrated.
Today marks the beginning of doors opening for thousands of students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The increase in applications confirms that people rightly recognise the value of going to university, and it is particularly positive that we have seen an increase in students going to university from the least advantaged backgrounds. The economy needs graduates and the skills they will develop throughout their time at university.
To those who have not got the results they were hoping for, please don’t panic. It’s not the end of the world. There are lots of opportunities available through clearing, and advice available through Ucas or direct from universities.”
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Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas has been speaking about results day.
“This year’s students were just thirteen when the pandemic hit, and their secondary schooling was turned upside down,” 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.
“For any student who didn’t quite get the grades they were hoping for, or even those still yet to apply, there are plenty of options in clearing with around 27,000 available courses.
“Ucas experts are also available on the phones, on social media and on the Ucas website, to help all those deciding on the next step that’s right for them.”
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Students accepted on UK degree courses reaches record high – Ucas
The number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen to a record high year, Ucas figures show.
A total of 439,180 applicants have gained a place at university or college – up 3.1% on the same point last year, according to data published by the university admissions service, PA News reports.
Ucas said it is the highest number of placed students on results day on record.
Overall, 82% of UK 18-year-old applicants awaiting a decision on results day secured their first choice – which was the same proportion as last year.
For 18-year-olds in the UK, 255,130 applicants have been accepted onto a university or college course – up 4.7% on last year.
The number of international students who have been accepted on to undergraduate courses has risen by 2.9% – from 51,170 last year to 52,640.
Accepted applicants from China (12,380) are up 13% compared with last year.
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Here are the latest images coming to us over the wires of students receiving their A-level results.
Students receiving their A-level results at Ark Academy in London. Photograph: Lucy North/PAStudents receive their A-level results at The Latimers Arts College in Barton Seagrave, Northamptonshire. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PAStudents celebrate BTEC and T-level results at Barking & Dagenham College Photograph: Barking & Dagenham CollegeShare
Updated at 03.47 EDT
We have more from education secretary Bridget Phillipson, who has been speaking to BBC Breakfast about A-level results day.
She said there had been “a steadying of the ship, both this year and last, following some of the disruption that we saw during the pandemic.”
She added:“These are young people who have not had disruption in recent times, but have had the full normal assessment process.
“These are also young people who would have been the first to sit GCSEs under normal circumstances. So they’ve gone through the full regular GCSE cycle that you would have expected before the pandemic.
“So, this is a normal year, the kind of year that we would have seen before the pandemic hit.”
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The total number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen by 3.1% on the same point last year, with 439,180 taking up places so far, initial Ucas figures show, PA News reports.
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We have more from Bridget Phillipson, who said she thinks it is “a matter of personal choice” when asked about the drop in pupils choosing to study arts and languages at A-level.
She told Times Radio: “I do think it’s a good thing that more young people are studying subjects like maths. There are often great roots into careers.
“The same is, of course, true of subjects like languages, and that was my personal passion.
“But we, of course, look at some of those trends over time and keep under consideration what some of the reasons might be that we see changes in subject choice.”
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said it is a “day of celebration” for young people ahead of A-level results today.
Speaking to Times Radio, she said: “I’ll just start by saying that this is a really exciting day for young people.
“They’ve worked really hard. They’ve had brilliant support from their teachers and parents. It’s a day for celebration for our young people and there are lots of great routes out there.
“University is one of them, but for young people who are considering other routes there are apprenticeships and plenty of other opportunities available too, and lots of advice available if you haven’t quite got what you needed, through Ucas and clearing, and also through the National Career Service.”
Speaking to Sky News, she said young people getting their results on Thursday to seek support if they do not get the grades they wanted.
“My message to young people is that if you’ve got what you’ve needed to move on to the next step in your journey, that’s fantastic,” she said.
“But if you haven’t there’s lots of support and advice that’s available, either from your school or college, but also through Ucas, if you’re considering going to university through clearing, and also the National Career Service, because there are lots of fantastic routes that are out there, whether that’s apprenticeships, university or much more besides.”
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The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has sounded a warning over the decline of small-entry A-levels, calling on the government to do more to champion languages and arts subjects.
Pepe Di’Iasio, the ASCL’s general secretary, said:
“While many students will achieve the grades to which they aspire, there will be others who are disappointed. We would urge them to keep calm, talk to their teachers, and consider their options. There will be excellent opportunities available to them and dropping a grade is not the end of the world.
“Looking at the pattern of A-level entries in England this year, we have seen the continued rise of maths as the most popular subject choice. It is great news that so many young people are studying this vital subject at this level and see maths as a route to further study and careers.
“However, there are several A-level subjects where numbers are small and we are concerned about their sustainability in sixth forms and colleges. This is partly because the funding rates for post-16 education are extremely tight, making it difficult for providers to put on courses for small classes.
“According to Ofqual’s statistics, entries in a number of these subjects fell alarmingly this year, including French by 8.3%, German by 6.8%, drama by 6.2% and music by 2.6%.
“In many cases, we fear small-entry options are simply no longer available because of funding cuts which have already had to be made, and that we are in the midst of a downward spiral where some subjects will effectively disappear from the state education system.
“It is imperative that the government carefully considers how funding rates are affecting A-level choices, and that it does more to champion languages and arts subjects.”
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A record number of 18-year-olds are likely to be successful in securing their first choice of university this A-level results day, even if they narrowly miss their grades, the head of Ucas has suggested.
Jo Saxton, chief executive of the university admissions service, told PA this week it was a “good year to be a UK-domiciled 18-year-old” who wants to go to university.
She has suggested that British universities are keen to recruit UK school and college leavers because there is more “uncertainty” around the international market, and which overseas students are going to turn up.
Saxton added that domestic undergraduates offered universities “stability” for their “financial planning”.
Nearly 22,700 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England were available on the Ucas clearing site as of Wednesday last week – eight days before results day, a PA analysis showed.
A sample of 129 of the UK’s largest higher education providers showed 17 of the 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies for English residents on clearing.
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Updated at 02.38 EDT
Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland await A-level results
Good morning, and welcome to our blog covering A-level results day as thousands of students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland await news of their grades.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said that she expects a “pretty straightforward year” for students as things have “returned to normal” since the pandemic.
Last year, 27.8% of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade (up from 27.2% in 2023). It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22.
Scottish students received the results of their Higher exams last week, and the A-C attainment was 75.9% (up from 74.9% last year).
As well as A-level results, students will also receive T-level and BTec National results today.
We’ll have a fuller picture at 9.30am, so do follow along with us today for all the developments.
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Updated at 02.39 EDT
