The gap between the proportion of A-level entries in London getting the top grades and the equivalent figure in both north-east England and the East Midlands has reached a new record size.
32.7% of entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, up from 32.1% in 2025 and the highest for any region in England, the exam results show. The north-east and the East Midlands had the joint lowest rate, at 23.1%.
Record Gap
The gap between London and each of these two regions now stands at 9.6 percentage points, the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to Press Association analysis.
In north-east England, the gap has widened from 9.2 points in 2025, though the proportion of entries getting A or A* rose slightly this year, from 22.9% to 23.1%.
Regional Variations
By contrast, the East Midlands saw a drop in entries awarded the top grades, from 23.8% to 23.1%, the biggest fall of any region. This pushed the gap with London up from 8.3 points in 2025 to 9.6 points this year.
At a national level, 10.7% of A-level entries this year in Wales received A*, higher than the equivalent figure for England (9.6%) and Northern Ireland (8.8%).
For entries awarded A or above, Northern Ireland was ahead at 30.7%, above Wales (29.6%) and England (28.3%).
