A record proportion of A-level students in England have achieved top grades this year, with 28.2% of entries awarded an A or A*, up from 27.6% in 2024. The proportion of A* grades also rose to 9.4%, compared with 9.3% last year. This marks the highest level of top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020 to 2022, and the best since the A* was introduced in 2010.
Ofqual, the exams regulator, attributed the improvement to a 'smaller, smarter cohort' rather than grade inflation. Chief regulator Ian Bauckham said standards had been maintained, with grades determined by performance in exams using strict marking processes. He noted that fewer low-achieving students had entered, leading to slightly higher outcomes.
For the first time in recent years, male students outperformed female students in top grades. Among 18-year-olds in England, 28.4% of male entries gained an A or A*, compared with 28% for females. The gap was more pronounced at A*, with 9.9% of male entries achieving the top grade versus 9.1% for females. However, experts cautioned that many more female students took A-levels overall.
Regional disparities widened, with London recording 32.1% of entries at A or A*, while north-east England saw only 22.9%. The north-east remains the only English region with average grades below pre-pandemic levels. In the West Midlands and north-east, grades were lower than in 2024.
Maths remained the most popular subject, with 112,000 entries, up 4% on last year. Economics overtook history in popularity, a trend that exam boards linked to the influence of social media entrepreneurs. Claire Thomson of AQA said the rise in business and economics entries may reflect the appeal of influencers perceived to be making significant money.
Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 28.3% of entries gained A or A*, up 0.5 percentage points. Wales was the only nation to see a decline, falling from 29.9% to 29.5%. Ofqual emphasised that grading standards remain consistent year-on-year, despite fluctuations in cohort strength.
