Top A-levels fall, with steepest drop in England

As reported by the BBC, Top A-level results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have fallen for a second year running – with 27.2% of all grades marked at A* or A

It follows a spike in top grades in 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled because of Covid.

The drop is steeper in England, where grades were due to be brought back in line with 2019 in this year’s results.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, grades were always meant to be a bit higher this year.

Overall, there are 73,008 fewer top grades compared with 2022, but 31,834 more than in 2019.

The pass rate for exams in Scotland fell last week – but was still higher than before the pandemic.

The fall in top grades will mean disappointment for some students, but it has got nothing to do with students’ individual performance.

It is part of a plan to bring grades back down in line with pre-pandemic levels, after sharp rises in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers’ assessments.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) said 79% of 18-year-olds applying to university got a place at their first choice – which is lower than last year, but higher than before the pandemic.

Another 9% did not get into their firm or insurance choice of university and are in clearing, Ucas’s online system that advertises courses with vacancies.

Ucas has previously warned that spaces on some courses at top universities would “go quite quickly” in clearing, with the number of 18-year-olds in the population growing and international applications to undergraduate courses up slightly on last year.

AS-level results are also being released which, in Wales and Northern Ireland, count towards students’ final A-level results next summer.

And 3,448 students in England are receiving vocational T-level qualifications in England. The pass rate was 90.5%, and 69.2% of students achieved a merit or above.