A-LEVEL TOP GRADES RISE FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

The proportion of students awarded top A-level grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland increased for the third consecutive year, according to official data released on Thursday. More than a quarter of entries—28.5 per cent—received an A or A* grade, a rise of 0.2 percentage points from 28.3 per cent the previous year. The A* grade alone rose by 0.2 percentage points to 9.6 per cent, compared with 9.4 per cent in the previous year and 7.7 per cent in 2019. Total A-level entries exceeded 900,000 for the first time, driven partly by an increase in the population of 18-year-olds.

Mathematics remained the most popular subject for the 13th consecutive year, accounting for 12.7 per cent of all UK entries. Sir Ian Bauckham, head of exams regulator Ofqual, stated that mathematics drove the overall improvement in grades, citing the subject's popularity and high achievement rates. A gender divide exists in mathematics entries, with 72,619 boys' entries representing 63 per cent of the total, compared with 42,761 girls' entries at 37 per cent. Boys' entries achieved higher top-grade rates at 28.9 per cent for A* or A, compared with 28.0 per cent for girls' entries—a gap of 0.9 percentage points. Economics recorded a significant rise in popularity, moving from tenth most popular subject in the previous year to fifth.

Bauckham noted that A-level mathematics correlated with higher earning potential and economic growth. The data represents outcomes across three nations, with analysis from the official regulator confirming the sustained trend in top-grade achievement across the three-year period.