London students have achieved record A-level results, with the capital outperforming the rest of the country for the third consecutive year. The gap between the proportion of top grades in London and those in the North East and East Midlands has reached its largest ever size.
Record grades in the capital
On Thursday, it was revealed that 32.7% of pupils collecting their grades in London were allocated A*-A classifications – a 0.6% increase compared to 2025. The next best performing region, the South East, saw 31.5% of students achieve A*-A grades, up from 31.3% last year. The East of England was third at 27.9%, a 0.1% drop on 2025.
London grades were 9.6 percentage points ahead of the worst performing regions – the North East and East Midlands. This is the biggest gap since the present system of grading began in 2010.
Students celebrate success
Teenagers across the city were celebrating their results as national figures show the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades rose slightly again this year, remaining above pre-pandemic highs.
Aminata Townsend, 18, from Haggerston School in Hackney, achieved three A* results in English Literature, History, and Economics and has secured her place to study English Literature at the University of Cambridge.
She said: “I needed three A*s to get in - I didn’t think I would get them because you come out of the exams and you’re not sure how you have done.”
“I had really great teachers - my history teachers were really great. Miss Green and Miss Owusu, they were very engaging and you trust them because they have been teaching for a long time.”
“I think they had a real understanding of how the examination process works. So it's not just the content that they're able to teach you, but also actual exam skills and things like that.”
“I’m now looking forward to going out celebrating with my friends.”
