Thousands more students are awarded top A-level grades compared to last year: Four out of five pupils secure first university choice as number of A and A* marks rises by 0.6% and return to pre-pandemic levels
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The proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has increased on last year and remains above pre-pandemic levels.
Hundreds of thousands of UK students received their exam results today in a year when grading was expected to be restored to 2019 levels in all three nations.
More than a quarter (27.8 per cent) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.6 percentage points on last year when 27.2 per cent achieved the top grades.
This was also higher than in 2019 - the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic - when 25.4 per cent of entries were awarded A or A* grades. And this year is also the first time that top A-level results have risen since 2021.
Meanwhile, the total number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen by 3 per cent on the same point last year - with 425,680 taking up places so far.
Some 243,650 18-year-old applicants from the UK were accepted at a university or college this year, compared to 230,600 in 2023 - a rise of 6 per cent. And 82 per cent of all applicants got a place at their first choice - up from 79 per cent last year.
Carys Bonell and Ava Doherty celebrate at Harris Westminster Sixth Form in London today
Kherri French (left) and Yasmin Hanachova (right) react together as they receive their A-level results this morning at Norlington School and Sixth Form in Waltham Forest, East London
Hannah Greenwood reacts with her parents as she receives her results at Solihull School today
Students celebrate their results at King Edward VII High School for Girls in Birmingham today
(From left) Aisha Sidime, Daleen Sherkawi and Orissa Mistry at Solihull School this morning
Noah Harrison receives his A-level results at Solihull School in the West Midlands this morning
Pupils receive their results today at Parrs Wood High School in Didsbury, south Manchester
A family member looks at a student's A-level results at Solihull School this morning
Students celebrate their results at King Edward VII High School for Girls in Birmingham today
Jack Gallagher with his parents Matt and Lisa as he receives his results at Solihull School today
Students receive their A-Level results at the City of London Academy Highgate Hill today
Katie Smallwood celebrates after getting her A-level results at Solihull School this morning
Students receive their A-level results at Solihull School in the West Midlands this morning
Students receive their A-level results at Solihull School in the West Midlands this morning
Overall, the proportion of UK entries awarded the top A* grade this year has risen by 0.4 percentage points to 9.3 per cent, compared with 8.9 per cent in 2023, and it is higher than when it stood at 7.7 per cent in 2019.
Excluding the period of 2020 to 2022, the years of the pandemic, this is the highest proportion of A* grades awarded since they were first handed out in 2010.
But the overall pass rate - the proportion of entries graded A* to E - has fallen to 97.2 per cent this year, which is lower than last year (97.3 per cent) and the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (97.6 per cent).
The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, exams regulator Ofqual had said it expected this year's A-level results to be 'broadly similar' to last year, when grades were restored to pre-pandemic levels.
Ofqual's chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham told a briefing that standards had been maintained from last year.
He said: 'There is no grade inflation this year. Standards have been maintained from 2023. Any change is largely due to the ability of the cohort.'
In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators said they aimed to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer - a year later than in England.
It comes after the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.
Boys have pulled further ahead of girls at the top grade this year, with 9.5 per cent of boys' entries scoring an A* compared with 9.1 per cent of girls' entries - a gap of 0.4 percentage points. Last year the gap was 0.3 percentage points.
Boys have traditionally led girls, scoring more A* grades than their female classmates every year between 2012 and 2019. But girls overtook boys between 2020 and 2022 - the years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Girls continued to outperform boys at A* and A but the gender gap has narrowed again this year.
A total of 4,135 students in England alone scored three A* grades, according to separate figures from Ofqual. This is up from 3,820 last year and 2,785 in 2019.
The latest statistics show that the attainment gap between independent schools and comprehensives in England has widened compared with last year.
The latest Ofqual figures show that this summer, 49.4 per cent of independent school candidates scored grade A or above in all subjects, compared with 22.3 per cent of those at comprehensive schools - a gap of 27.1 percentage points.
Last year, the gap was 25.4 percentage points, while in 2019 it was 24.8 percentage points.
The cohort of students who are receiving their results were in Year 9 when schools shut due to Covid-19, and they were the first year group to sit GCSE exams after they were cancelled for two years in a row.
Leaders in the education sector have warned that this cohort of young people has had to overcome a series of challenges - and those from disadvantaged backgrounds have been hit the worst.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: 'In many ways this is one of the unluckiest cohorts to emerge in the post-pandemic era - blighted by Covid disruption, a cost-of-living crisis not to mention the national crisis of unfit school buildings, and yet at the same time they have received no compensation or extra support in the exam system.'
He also said it was 'simply not acceptable' that private school pupils are more than twice as likely to secure top grades.
Just days before the academic year was due to start last year, a number of schools were forced to offer remote learning when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in buildings.
Department for Education (DfE) figures, as of February 8, show 234 education settings in England were identified as having the collapse-risk concrete in their buildings.
Of these, 94 were listed as secondary or all-through state schools, while 11 were post-16 colleges.
A one-off uplift to exam marks has not been granted to all pupils who had their education disrupted by the concrete crisis despite calls from schools and families affected.
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'I really hope that we don't see young people being majorly disadvantaged in Raac schools because it will be a travesty on top of something that has already disadvantaged them and put them in a difficult situation.'
The JCQ has said schools and colleges can apply for 'special consideration' after today if they feel their results have been affected by Raac disruption during the exam series - such as a 'noisy environment' in the exam hall due to nearby building work.
Mr Di'Iasio added: 'I would welcome anything that allows students to gain recognition for the turbulence and the adversity that they face, be it through Raac or anything else that hasn't been recognised.
'I would hope that university admissions officers, but also schools and colleges and the whole system, make allowances for these young people because young people have had an incredibly traumatic period and they need all the support they can get right now.'
Mr Di'Iasio also said: 'This is a red-letter day for thousands of young people and there will be both celebrations and disappointments. Students in the latter category should not despair, however, as there are a range of options available.'
He added: 'While the dark days of the pandemic are in the past, its legacy continues to haunt us, as many of these students experienced severe disruption to their education.
'In particular, this impacted upon young people from disadvantaged backgrounds whose families were also adversely affected by the subsequent cost-of-living crisis.'
Meanwhile in England today, 7,380 students received their T-level results in the third year that the qualification has been awarded - and 88.7 per cent achieved at least a pass.
Around 250,000 results were also issued to students who took level 3 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) this year.
Margaret Farragher, chief executive of the JCQ, said: 'Huge congratulations to students on their achievements, spanning a range of vocational, technical and academic qualifications.
'While the pandemic is now behind us, we must acknowledge that this group of students faced disruption during their education and pay tribute to their resilience.'
And Jill Duffy, chairwoman of the JCQ board of directors and chief executive of the OCR exam board, said: 'With A-level grades similar to last year, Gen Z students and their teachers will see some much-needed continuity and stability after the disruptions of the pandemic.
'Whether going to university or into training or straight into a career, their qualifications help them move on to their next stage, and we wish them every success in the future.'
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson offered her congratulations to students, saying they can be 'really proud of what they've achieved.
Ms Phillipson, who also revealed that she achieved four As in her own A-levels, told Times Radio: 'I do just want to say a huge congratulations to all of those young people.
'They've been through an awful lot in recent years and they've shown tremendous resilience, and they've had fantastic support from the staff and teachers within their schools and colleges, and it's a big and exciting day for them.'
Ms Phillipson also said there were 'plenty of opportunities' for A-level students who fall short on results day.
She told Sky News: 'To our young people receiving their results, there are lots of great options out there in terms of what you can go on to do next.
'For those young people who get what they need and move on to their destination of choice, that's brilliant.
'For those who perhaps fall slightly short, there are lots of options out there. There are lots of people that can be there to provide advice and support, whether that's the school or college, Ucas through clearing, or the National Career Service.
'So I want to wish them all the very best, but to reassure them that there are plenty of opportunities that are there.'
In addition, she said that where students are from should not impact what they can achieve and committed to closing the 'big gaps' in university access across the UK.
Ms Phillipson added: 'I want all young people to be able to choose the path that's right for them. For many young people that will be university, for many young people that will be an apprenticeship, or going into the world of work.
Ting Ting He (left) hugs Victoria Lovera at Ark Globe Academy in South East London today
Leena Hamza at Newcastle High School for Girls got three A*s today and will study medicine at Imperial College London
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at Loreto Sixth Form College in Manchester today
Students sit together after receiving A-level results at Ark Globe Academy in London today
Students receive their A-level results at Belfast High School this morning
Azizah Haider receives her A-level results at Ark Globe Academy in South East London today
Emma Harris receiving her A-level results at Belfast High School this morning
Student Umar Fernandez (second left) at City of London Academy Highgate Hill today
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at Loreto Sixth Form College in Manchester today
Education Minister Paul Given (right) joins students at Belfast High School this morning
Students receive their A-level results at Ark Globe Academy in South East London today
Ciara Wilson (left) and Leah Horan after receiving A-level results at Belfast High School today
Student Cleashei Nicolas receives her A-level results at Ark Globe Academy in London today
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at Loreto Sixth Form College in Manchester today
Emily Hall at Newcastle High School for Girls will study geography and planning at university
'It's about having those range of options that are available. And I think, sadly, whatever the headline figure in terms of university applications, we do still see, sadly, very big differences between different parts of the country.
Ukrainian refugee, 17, who fled Kyiv is off to study at Cambridge after achieving four A*s
Terrified of the daily air raid sirens over Kyiv at the start of the Ukraine war, Anna Ursakii and her family decided to flee.
Their journey west involved travelling through 10 different countries before she finally made it to northern Italy.
From there she emailed schools at the top of the UK rankings and was thrilled to be awarded a place at the prestigious Brighton College under the school's pioneering scholarship system.
Brighton College student Anna Ursakii, 17
Today, Anna, 17, has won a place at the University of Cambridge to study Natural Sciences after she achieved four A* grades in four A Levels.
Her achievement at gaining a place at one of the world's most coveted universities is even more astonishing given English is her second language.
Head teacher Richard Cairns says Anna threw herself into life at £43,000 a year Brighton College, becoming a member of the award-winning chamber choir and part of the dance show team.
During her time at the college she made sure to keep the war in the forefront of everyone's minds.
Anna, who arrived at the school in 2022 with her six-year-old brother Sasha, said: 'I was absolutely terrified of the sirens. They scared me so much.
'We heard Brighton College was offering places to Ukrainian refugees and we applied. I just emailed them, chancing my luck and they got back to me.'
Anna opens her results in Brighton today
After a call with the headteacher which she had to make from a petrol station she was offered a full scholarship.
Working hand in hand with local charities and refugee organisations, Brighton College has taken around 20 Ukrainian children on full scholarships.
Reflecting on her time in England, Anna said: 'I've really valued the opportunity to be at Brighton College. It is a gift to be free, to be safe, and to have a future. I feel safe now, I have good friends and a warm home.
'It breaks my heart that my friends from Ukraine don't get to experience this and instead have to study in shelters. My hope now is hope for the future and hope for peace.'
Anna studied Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics and will be going to Clare College, Cambridge.
Anna with her six-year-old brother Sasha
Mr Cairns said: 'So many Ukrainian youngsters have had their whole lives entirely upended by this terrible war, and the story of Anna gives a glimmer of hope for the future.
'I am so proud of this remarkable young woman and am just glad that we were able to help her a little along the way.'
Brighton College pupils have achieved record-breaking results, with a phenomenal 99.3 per cent A* to B, which is thought to be the highest results of any school.
An incredible 85.2 per cent of results were A* to A and almost half were A*.
'So for example, you're far more likely to apply to university from London and the South East than you are from the North East, where I'm from. So it's not kind of a flat figure across the country.
'There are big gaps, big differences, and actually that they've been growing in recent years,' the MP who represents Houghton and Sunderland South said.
'And the same is sadly true when it comes to some of our outcomes.
'And I'm absolutely determined to turn that around, because I don't believe where you're from should determine what you can go on to achieve, and it certainly shouldn't limit your choices and options.'
Earlier, Ms Phillipson spoke about how A-level results are expected to be 'broadly in line with last year'.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she added: 'I had to overcome quite a lot of my life to get to that point, but it was a straightforward journey.'
Ms Phillipson also said she was 'really surprised' to hear that students with T-levels are not being accepted by some universities.
She added: 'I think T-levels are an important part of our system. I think they provide really high quality options for young people around technical and vocational education.
'What we're doing at the moment is looking at the other options that sit alongside T-levels to make sure that we've got a good mix, so that all of our young people are able to study for a really high quality qualification.'
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she also said: 'T-levels are here to stay, but we need to make them work, and we need to make them work better than has been the case.
'But alongside that, we need to make sure that there are other routes for our young people. T-levels won't be the answer, won't be the solution for every young person that is considering a technical or vocational relief.'
And Rebecca Montacute, head of research and policy at the Sutton Trust charity, said: 'Young people receiving their exam results today have had to overcome many challenges along the way.
'They lost education time due to the pandemic, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds were particularly affected by the loss of in-person teaching, lack of space and a quiet learning environment at home, lack of devices to learn with, and little social interaction with their peers.'
'These issues have been compounded for pupils who experienced further lost learning in schools impacted by the Raac crisis.'
Separate figures from the university admissions service Ucas showed the number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen this year.
A total of 425,680 applicants - of all ages and domiciles - have gained a place at university or college, which is up 3 per cent on the same point last year.
Ucas said 82 per cent of all applicants have gained a place at their first choice university or college, which is up from 79 per cent last year.
For 18-year-olds in the UK, 243,650 applicants have been accepted - up 6 per cent on last year.
The number of 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK to gain places on courses has reached a record high, Ucas said.
Overall, 27,600 of UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds (POLAR4 Quintile 1) have accepted a degree place, up 7 per cent on 25,800 last year and on the previous record of 26,650 in 2021.
The number of international students who have been accepted on to courses stands at 51,170, down slightly on 51,210 last year.
Accepted applicants from China (10,950) are down 6 per cent compared with last year.
Education experts have suggested students could face less competition for university places this year due a decline in the proportion of UK school leavers applying to higher education and a fall in overseas demand.
As of yesterday afternoon, the day before A-level results day, a sample of 130 of the UK's largest higher education providers showed there were 22,774 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England on the Ucas clearing website.
A similar analysis last year, carried out the day before A-level results day, showed there were 22,521 courses with vacancies on the clearing site.
Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers.
Students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use the process.
Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said: 'Today's figures highlight the tenacity and effort from students who have aimed high and are about to embark on their exciting next steps.
'I'm particularly thrilled to see free school meals students securing a place at university or college in record numbers.
'I know how important it is to everyone working in education that every student, no matter their background, has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
'Widening access and participation is not just about numbers; it's about opening up doors and transforming the lives of students through higher education so they can pursue their passions and career aspirations.
'Ucas is here to help all applicants take their next step, including students who received different results than expected, or those who are looking to change their mind.
'There are just under 30,000 courses available in Ucas clearing across a broad range of subjects and universities so there really is something for everyone.'
And Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said: 'Everyone who worked hard for their results today should be immensely proud of themselves.
'It is heartening to see that a record number of disadvantaged students have gained a place at a university or college this year.
'We know that a degree has particularly strong benefits for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and this will boost earnings and career prospects throughout their lifetimes.'
Speaking about international students, Ms Phillipson said the Government does not intend to remove visa restrictions placed on them by the previous Tory government.
In January, restrictions were introduced to prevent most international students bringing dependents with them to the UK.
Asked whether the visa restrictions should be reversed, Ms Phillipson told Sky News: 'We don't intend to change that.
'But what I do say is that international students who come to our country and study do make a tremendous contribution.
'In economic terms, into where it comes to the communities where they will come and live: Sunderland - where I'm a Member of Parliament - we have lots of students that come from around the world, often as postgraduate students, that study and make a contribution.
'But it's also a big part of our reach around the world, the impact that we can have as a country, the business links, the trading links, the opportunities and the bridges that we build between nations.'
She added that raising university tuition fees would be 'unpalatable'.
Asked whether tuition fee caps would be increased in the next five years, Ms Phillipson told Sky News: 'I do recognise the challenge, and I hear that message from institutions as well, but I think that's a really unpalatable thing to be considering.
'Not least because I know that lots of students across the country are already facing big challenges around the cost of living, housing costs, lots of students I speak to who are already working lots of jobs, extra hours, in order to pay for their studies.'
Twin sisters get the same A-level results... two years after the same feat at GCSE!
Twin sisters have achieved exactly the same set of A-level results - two years after managing the same feat at GCSE.
Nicola and Victoria Tsang, 17, have achieved identical grades for the second set of public exams in a row.
In today's results they both achieved A* grades in economics and A grades in maths and physics, while they both also earned an A* in the EPQ - a research project similar to a mini dissertation.
Nicola (bottom) and Victoria Tsang (top)
It comes two summers after they recorded the same grades in the same subjects at GCSE.
Victoria, the older sibling by a minute, said: 'I was saying yesterday what happens if we get the same results again and we both said that won't happen. We've had different grades in our mocks in the run-up to the exams so I can't believe it's happened again.'
Nicola said: 'We saw that we had both got our first-choice universities so it was only then that we checked our grades. We compared our grades and thought not this again. This time I didn't expect it to happen. The probabilities are higher but I still didn't think it would happen.'
Nicola added: 'Our friends were messaging yesterday asking what if it happens again? We haven't told anyone about it yet.'
The sisters, from Hong Kong, have lived and studied together at Benenden School in Kent since they were 11. They have always been in the same boarding house and have both been prefects during their final year at the boarding school.
The Tsang sisters' career paths are also heading in the same direction - they both plan to pursue law degrees, but at different universities. Victoria is off to Cambridge while Nicola is starting at London School of Economics.
Ms Phillipson added that the Government does intend to 'reform the system overall'.
Education think tank EDSK has argued that tuition fees in England should be reduced to £6,000 a year to make post-18 education 'more equitable' for students.
'A reduction in the fee cap to £6,000 would significantly reduce the income of HE (Higher Education) providers if nothing else changed,' the think tank's paper acknowledged.
Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, Ms Phillipson said: 'I'm not happy with the system I've inherited, and I do want to reform that system.
'I've been looking at all of the options around this, I will continue to review that.
'We're little more than a month into this new Government, and this is a really big and complex area where if we want to drive change, we need to make sure we get this right, so we will review it, I want to make sure it's a fairer system overall for our students.
'And there are big challenges that our institutions, our universities, are facing at the moment where it comes to their finances, and that's why I've taken immediate action as Secretary of State to refocus the work of the regulator, the Office for Students, to make sure that our universities are on a much firmer footing and succeed into the long run.'
In Northern Ireland today, almost a third of A-level students received a top A/A* grade – with just over 26,000 pupils receiving results at A or AS-level.
This year marks the completion of the transition back from various interim arrangements put in place during the pandemic, with results described as being comparable with 2019.
Amid periods of lockdown, examinations were cancelled in 2020 and 2021, while mitigations were put in place in 2022 and 2023.
This year, some 30.3 per cent of students received a grade A or above, just up from 29.4 per cent in 2019.
Examinations board CCEA, which issues results in Northern Ireland on behalf of the JCQ, described a milestone year.
They indicated that this year's results are not directly comparable with last year when some 37.5 per cent achieved an A/A* grade when mitigations were in place.
During a visit to Belfast High School this morning, Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan said he is delighted that results in Northern Ireland 'continue to outperform other parts of the UK' where 27.8 per cent of grades awarded were A/A*.
'We're beating England, Wales and that's important to continue to punch above our weight in terms of our qualifications,' he said.
'I'm delighted with the results and it's a culmination of a huge amount of work put in by the teaching profession and the hard work of the incredibly dedicated pupils, speaking to some of them this morning, the hours of work that they put in every week and at weekends, today they get to see the results of all of that.
'I'm hugely proud of what we have been able to achieve in Northern Ireland.'
This year there were 32,873 A-level entries.
Some 8.2 per cent of entries achieved an A* (8 per cent in 2019), 30.3 per cent achieved A* - A grades (29.4 per cent in 2019) and overall 98.5 per cent of students in Northern Ireland achieved A*- E grade (98.4 per cent in 2019).
Mathematics was the most popular subject accounting for 9.6 per cent of entries.
It was followed by biology (8.7 per cent), health and social care (7.9 per cent), business studies (7 per cent), history (6.4 per cent), chemistry (5.9 per cent), geography (5.1 per cent), English literature 4.8 per cent), religious studies (4.1 per cent) and physics (3.9 per cent).
Meanwhile, AS-level entries were up from 39,336 in 2023 to 41,180 this year.
In those results, some 26.7 per cent of students achieved grade A (26.4 per cent in 2019) and overall 96.4 per cent achieved A-E grade (95.7 per cent in 2019).
Gerry Campbell, chief executive of CCEA, described the results as an 'important milestone for thousands of young people across the country', adding that 'students should feel proud of their achievements'.
'2024 also marks a milestone for examinations as we have completed the first normal exam year since the pandemic began,' he said.
'This would not have been possible without the collaboration and hard work of our schools and colleges, and I wish to especially thank them for their support and commitment to our students across Northern Ireland.'
Next week, some 32,000 students will receive the results of their GCSEs.
Stormont Economy Minister Conor Murphy has encouraged those receiving exam results, and their parents/carers, to contact his department's Careers Service for free, professional, impartial advice and guidance.
'It is important that young people receiving their exam results today know that professional advice is available to help them navigate the next stage of their career journey,' he said.
'Whatever results you have received today, my department's Careers Service can outline the wide range of opportunities available, based on the most up-to-date labour market information.
'I want to wish all students best wishes for the future and reassure you the Careers Service is ready to support you on your next steps.'
Scotland has a different qualification system and students received their results on Tuesday last week.
Figures released by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) showed that 77.2 per cent of those sitting National 5 exams passed with grades A to C - down from 78.8 per cent last year.
For Highers, 74.9 per cent passed with the top bands, down from 77.1 per cent last year, and for Advanced Highers 75.3 per cent of students achieved A to C grades, falling from 79.8 per cent in 2023.
