A-level top grades reach record high

Top grades for A-level results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have reached a record high - with 44.8 per cent achieving A* or A grades.

A second successive year of replacement results after exams were cancelled has resulted in even higher results than 2020 when 36.5 per cent achieved top grades. The sharp rise in top grades at A-level means that the proportion getting top A* and A grades has risen by almost 75 per cent since the last time conventional exams were taken in 2019.

It is likely that the increase in top grades will spark extra pressure on places for the most competitive universities and courses.

Ucas has said that a record 396,000 students have been confirmed in their first choice course - up eight per cent on last year.

Schools could use a range of evidence for grades, including mini-exams, coursework and mock exams - with one in five schools having a sample of their grades checked by exam boards. During the checking process, exam boards queried submitted grades in 15 per cent of schools and colleges, but only one per cent were altered.