The proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades in England has reached a record high outside the pandemic-affected years, according to data released on results day. Some 28.3% of entries received an A or A*, up from 27.8% in 2024 and above the pre-pandemic level of 25.4% in 2019. This is the highest proportion since the current grading system began in 2010, excluding the Covid years of 2020-22.
The A* grade was awarded to 9.4% of entries, also a record outside the pandemic era and up from 9.3% last year. The overall pass rate (grades A* to E) rose to 97.5%, slightly above 2024's 97.2% but below 2019's 97.6%. Meanwhile, 77.9% of entries achieved a C or above, the highest outside the pandemic years.
Regional disparities have widened, with London recording the highest proportion of A or A* grades at 32.1%, while the north-east of England had the lowest at 22.9%. The gap between these regions now stands at 9.2 percentage points, the largest since 2010. In Northern Ireland, 30.4% of entries received top grades, compared to 29.5% in Wales and 28.2% in England.
For the first time since 2018, boys outperformed girls at the top grades, with 28.4% of boys' entries achieving A or A* compared to 28.2% for girls. Boys also extended their lead at A*, with 9.9% of entries achieving the highest grade versus 9.1% for girls. However, exam boards cautioned against overinterpreting the shift, noting that the figures are small and fluctuate over time.
Mathematics remained the most popular subject for the 12th consecutive year, with 112,138 entries, up 4.4% from 2024. Psychology and biology followed, while business studies entered the top five for the first time, displacing history. Physics rose from ninth to sixth place. A total of 882,509 A-levels were awarded this year, a slight decrease of 0.5% from last year.
