More than 800,000 students received their A-level results on Thursday, with the proportion of top grades reaching the highest level outside the pandemic era. In England, 28.3% of entries were awarded an A or A*, up from 27.8% in 2024 and above 25.4% in 2019. The figure peaked at 44.8% in 2021 during teacher-assessed grading.
Boys outperformed girls in achieving A* grades for the first time since 2018, with 9.9% of boys' entries receiving the top grade compared to 9.1% for girls. However, more girls achieved grades C and above overall. The overall pass rate (A* to E) stood at 97.5%, slightly up from 97.2% last year but below 2019's 97.6%.
Regional disparities persisted, with London recording the highest proportion of A or A* grades at 32.1%, while the North East had the lowest at 22.9%. The gap between these regions widened to 9.2 percentage points, the largest since the current grading system began in 2010. Henri Murison of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership highlighted these “significant and deep-seated regional disparities.”
Mathematics remained the most popular subject for the 12th consecutive year, with 112,138 entries, up 4.4%. Business studies entered the top five for the first time, replacing history. Physics rose from ninth to sixth place. Overall, 882,509 A-levels were awarded, a 0.5% decrease from last year.
Ofqual, the exam regulator, dismissed concerns about grade inflation, noting a lower proportion of 18-year-olds taking A-levels and fewer low-achieving entrants. The number of students accepted onto UK degree courses has also risen.
