Boys have extended their lead over girls in the top A-level grades, with the proportion of entries awarded A or A* reaching a new high outside the pandemic-affected years.
A total of 28.5% of UK entries were awarded either an A or A*, up from 28.3% in 2025 and above the 25.4% in 2019. This is the highest proportion on record outside the pandemic years of 2020-22, when the figure peaked at 44.8% in 2021.
Top grades and pass rates
Some 9.6% of UK entries received an A*, up from 9.4% last year, marking the third increase in a row. Discounting the pandemic years, this is the highest proportion since the A* grade was first awarded in 2010.
A total of 78.4% of entries received a C or above, up from 77.9% in 2025, also the highest outside the pandemic. The overall pass rate (grades A* to E) was 97.5%, unchanged from 2025 and slightly below 2019's 97.6%.
Regional and national variations
Among English regions, London had the highest proportion of A or A* grades at 32.7%, up from 32.1% in 2025, while north-east England and the East Midlands had the joint lowest at 23.1%. The East Midlands saw the largest year-on-year fall, down 0.7 points, while north-east England rose slightly by 0.2 points.
The 9.6 percentage point gap between London and the North East, and between London and the East Midlands, is the largest between these pairs since 2010, according to Press Association analysis.
In Northern Ireland, 30.7% of entries received A or A*, up from 30.3%, higher than Wales (29.6%) and England (28.3%).
Subject popularity and totals
Maths remained the most popular subject for the 13th year in a row, with 115,380 entries, up 3.9% from 111,033 in 2025. Psychology was second, biology third, and chemistry fourth. Economics entered the top five for the first time, replacing business studies.
A total of 906,425 A-levels were awarded this year, up 2.7% on last year's 882,653.
