A-level results: England sees steepest drop in grades

1. It's A-level results day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for hundreds of thousands of students
2. The proportion of A or A* grades is 27.2% - down from a peak of 44.8% during the pandemic
3. The fall was steepest in England - 26.5% of exams got the top grade
4. In Wales, the figure was 34%, with 37.5% in Northern Ireland getting the top grades
5. T-level results have also been released, along with many AS-level and BTec Level 3 grades
6. Across the UK, 79% of those receiving results gained a place at their first-choice university, Ucas says

Well done from us

We're wrapping up our live coverage of results day for A-levels, T-levels, and Level 3 BTec students.

Well done to any of you who have received results today. If you're hungry for more, we've got plenty:

• Read our six takeaways from results day here
• A bit disappointed or just lost on what to do next? Check out this video
• Need some inspiration? Read success stories of people who didn't get the grades they wanted here
• Off to uni? Find out how much it costs and whether it increases how much you earn here

Today's live coverage was produced by Aoife Walsh, Jacqueline Howard, Anna Boyd, Emily McGarvey, James Harness, Heather Sharp, Alice Evans, Nathan Standley, Rahib Khan, Hazel Shearing, Ian Murphy, Riyah Collins, Jamie Moreland, Hamzah Abbas, and Ben Morris.

From all of us here, congratulations, and good luck with your next steps!

The big picture from today

PA Media

We'll be ending our live coverage soon, so let's recap how the day looked for students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

• The proportion of A or A* A-level grades is 27.2% - down from a peak of 44.8% during the pandemic
• The fall was steepest in England - with Wales and Northern Ireland still seeing grade inflation
• The difference in the number of top grades achieved by state and private schools has widened since 2019, according to Ofqual data
• The gap between the number of people going to university from most and least under-represented areas has also increased since 2019
• Across the UK, 79% of those receiving results gained a place at their first-choice university, Ucas says

For anyone receiving results, it's no doubt been an emotional day. If you didn't quite get what you wanted, you can check out your options here.

Grades don't define you, but your decisions will - Apprentice judge

We've just heard from Apprentice winner and judge Tim Campbell, who has a few words of wisdom for those getting results today.

Speaking from his old school in London, he says he was once excluded from St Bonaventure's - and is now chair of the governors.

"The important thing to think about is the actual grades don't define who you are - the decisions you make today are going to define you," he says.

Take a look:

The Apprentice winner and judge was once excluded from school, he says

'I failed my exams - now I run my own business'

You've probably seen dozens of delighted students across our coverage today.

But if you've not done as well as you thought you might, you may be feeling a little deflated.

We've spoken to three young people who were in precisely that position only recently - but have since gone on to achieve brilliant things.

You can read all about how they did it here, plus the advice they have for the students today who find themselves in the same position they were in just a few years ago.

BBC

Luke Chapman now remembers the disappointment of his school exams in a different light: as an opportunity

Why clearing is open for some international students

Vanessa Clarke

Education reporter

We have been contacted by a few students and parents asking why clearing has closed on some courses for those based in the UK but not international students.

Every year universities set targets for the number of both national and international students they will accept on a given course.

This year there had been some speculation on whether more international students would be taking university places at the expense of UK students.

International students typically pay much higher fees but the amount UK based undergraduates pay is capped.

But Universities UK have told us the vast majority of students this year were accepted into their preferred choice and that “individual institutions balance the numbers of home and international students on each course carefully, considering subject type and diversity, and do so long in advance of results day”.

Figures from UCAS show the number of international students is down from 51,210 this year to 52,440 last year (-2.3%)

'These results meant everything to me'

Larissa Tairo

Reporting from Wilberforce Sixth Form College, Hull

BBC

Layla felt emotional after discovering she did far better than she was expecting

Layla was flooded with tears of happiness when she found out she got two distinctions and a distinction* in business.

“I was hoping to get a distinction, distinction, merit so it’s a lot better than I was expecting,” she said.

Layla has already got an apprenticeship at Hays Travel for consultancy: “Getting these results meant everything to me anyway, but it’s not going to affect everything.”

When Layla was asked if she has had any support along the way she enthused: “All the teachers, every single one of them.”

Sixth form teacher Alex got a particular shout-out for “always giving us the laugh we needed to keep going, especially coming up to exams”.

Surge in interest in economics and computing A-levels

Maths remains the most popular subject chosen at A-level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and economics has joined the top 10 for the first time.

The statistics, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications, also show a surge in popularity for computing - it has seen the biggest increase in take-up this year (16.7%), compared to other subjects.

Social sciences continue to be popular, with psychology in second place and sociology sixth - the same as last year.

As well as physics, both biology (third) and chemistry (fourth) also retain spots in the top 10 most popular subjects - a list that is dominated by the sciences rather than the arts.

.

WATCH: What does a T-level involve?

Jessica did a placement in a nursing home as part of her qualification.

It's not just A-level results day. Many of you will be finding out which T-levels you got.

In this video we speak to Jessica, a student in Leeds, who tells us what she did to earn her qualification.

Read more about T-levels here.

More than 1,000 calls to Hull's clearing hotline

Larissa Tairo

Reporting from the University of Hull's clearing office

BBC

Aimee says students just need to ask for help if they're worried about clearing

“It’s been really busy today, we’ve had well over 1,000 calls," Aimee Cheesmond tells us from the University of Hull’s clearing call centre.

It's her first year on the job at her old university and she says she’s heard a mix of emotions from callers but lots are relieved to hear there are still options available.

A student can just ring up, Aimee explains, and a clearing officer will talk them through the application form including which courses they’re interested in and their qualifications.

The student is then put in touch with an academic who can provide details on what the course includes. The clearings officer can also help with accommodation and information about open days.

“Just make sure you ask," says Aimee.

"It’s always worth a try, and you never know what you might be accepted for, so just ring around and ask as many questions as possible,” she says.

Gap between state and private schools stays high

Hazel Shearing

Education correspondent

According to England's exam regulator, Ofqual, 47.4% of grades given to private school candidates were A* and A, compared with 25.4% given to those in academies.

The gap between the two types of school grew in 2020 and 2021, as fee-paying schools did particularly well when teachers' assessments were the basis for A-level grades.

It has narrowed since but is still higher than it was in 2019.

Not all pupils received the same support - academic and emotional - when schools closed during lockdowns and students were forced to learn remotely.

Some schools were better able to provide laptops to pupils for remote learning. Their pupils may have had more access to computers and to the internet at home, or more physical space in which to learn.

Ucas said the number of 18-year-olds on free school meals in England heading off to university has risen by 60% since 2019. However, the Sutton Trust says the number of students eligible for free school meals has increased by more than that.

BBC

'We're getting lower grades than last year - it isn't fair'

Sherie Ryder

BBC News

Handout

A-level student Jas says she was upset this morning because of her grades

A-level student Jas, from Somerset, says she was expecting straight As in her results this morning.

So when two Bs appeared on her results sheet, she says she felt bitterly disappointed.

Although predicted grades are not totally reliable, Jas says she thinks changes to the grade boundaries are partly to blame.

“They are good grades - I was lucky," she says.

"However, I’ve been expecting higher. So I was upset this morning and annoyed as I have worked really hard, as have all of my friends.

"Now the boundaries have changed, we’re getting lower grades - lower than last year. It isn’t fair."

Ofqual has said protection was "built into" this year's grading process - earlier we had a look at whether this year really was fair for students in England.

Girls still outperform boys - but only just

Hazel Shearing

Education correspondent

Girls outperformed boys again at the top A-level grades - but only just.

27.5% of A-levels taken by girls were an A* or an A, compared to 26.9% of those taken by boys.

The gap between the two genders is getting smaller.

It grew in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled because of Covid and grades were based on teachers' assessments. Then it narrowed in 2022.

When you look just at A*s, boys overtook girls this year. 9.1% of male entries were given an A*, compared to 8.8% of female entries.

BBC

Overcoming grief to get the grades

Ben Morris

Live reporter

The two years Gabriel has spent preparing for his A-levels have been punctuated by bereavement, first with the loss of his older brother and then his father.

"It was really hard to keep focused on things," he says. "It's stressful - you just want to block everything out and not think about it."

His mum Sharon says she is "off-the-scale proud" of him after he got the results he needed to secure his place to study history at Cardiff University.

"My mindset was ‘if I can just keep my head down and work hard for one year it’s going to be a lot easier for me in the future'," Gabriel says.

"He’s been remarkably resilient – we as adults have been shattered into a million pieces," adds Sharon.

"But he’s been so strong and focused on his work. This is going to stand him in really good stead.”

In pictures: An emotional day for students and parents

Reuters

Success! Ella threw her hands in the air as she reacted to her exam results at Harris Westminster Sixth Form in London

PA Media

Sharing success is always the best way to spend a results day, as these students in Sutton Coldfield did earlier

PA Media

Imagine having the education secretary peering over your shoulder as you opened your results... that's what happened to these students today in north London

EPA

Whether you totally smashed your grades or they didn't quite meet your expectations, a comforting hug always goes a long way after opening exam results

What's been happening?

Let's take a moment to recap the day as school and college students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their exam results:

• Top level grades were down on last year, with 27.2% of grades marked as A or A*
• But that was to be expected, as part of the plan to bring grades back to pre-pandemic levels
• There's variation between the nations though, with more top grades in Wales and Northern Ireland, where grades were still awarded more generously

• 79% of students got into their first choice of university - slightly down on last year's 81%, but above the 2019 figure of 74%

• Education Minister Gillian Keegan said it is "the right time" to return to the pre-pandemic grading system. Labour's shadow education minister Bridget Phillipson said the government had not provided enough support to young people coming out of the pandemic

• We've heard from lots of happy students - including A-level, T-level and BTec students off to university courses and apprenticeships

Results show a picture of growing disparity - Sutton Trust

We've already heard about the regional divide in today's A-level results.

But the Sutton Trust, a charity set up to target the educational attainment gap, says there's also a "growing disparity between the most and least well off young people".

The difference in the number of top grades achieved by pupils in state and private schools has widened since 2019, according to Ofqual data.

The gap between the number of people going to university from the most and least under-represented areas has also increased since 2019.

Charity founder and chairman Sir Peter Lampl says there is also a greater number of students eligible for free school meals going to university.

He says this is in line with a "huge jump" in the total number eligible for free school meals, as "more and more families have fallen into poverty during the pandemic and the cost of living crisis".

.

Ucas staff working to help 'really, really, disappointed' students

Navtej Johal

Reporting from Ucas HQ in Cheltenham

BBC

Marcus Annfield, customer experience partner, UCAS.

It’s been busy here - around 200 staff are in the building for the day that they refer to as their “Christmas Day”. They spend all year training and planning for this moment to help students through the clearing process.

I’ve been chatting to Marcus Annfield - he has been speaking to students and parents. Marcus says he’s had dozens of calls this morning and is being fuelled by pick‘n’mix sweets - adding most calls so far have been from students confirming that they have a place at university.

“I have [also] had some quite emotional ones [calls] already where they’re really, really disappointed and they feel the pressure from peers and parents, and life in general," he says.

"By calming them, by reassuring them, and being gentle… we’re able to guide them into a place where they can at least see a little bit of the wood from the trees,” he adds.

'I'm happy I've got in to study my dream course'

Ian Haslam

Reporting from Blackburn

BBC

I’ve been at Blackburn College where balloons and a congratulatory banner welcomed students as they arrived to pick up their results early this morning.

Unsurprisingly, the room was filled with nervous energy, but as envelopes were opened there were plenty of smiles and hugs, along with one or two looks of mild disappointment.

A-level student Hussain Mughal achieved two A* and two A grades and will now study medicine at his preferred university.

Opening his results envelope on camera for us, Hussain broke into a smile, with his first word - simply “wow”.

Asked his thoughts on his grades Hussain told us: “I’m just happy I’ve got into my university to study my dream course.

"It’s been really difficult because we had never sat real exams before, having GCSEs that were teacher assessed."

Thanks for your questions

That’s the end of our YQA, thank you for sending so many interesting questions for our panel. We hope their answers have been helpful - and thanks to our experts for taking the time to join us.

There’s plenty more information across our website, including:

• How much does university cost and does it boost earnings?
• What are apprenticeships and how do I choose a good one?
• Everything you need to know about student loans

We'll be bringing you more analysis and reaction to today's A-levels results, so stay with us.

My son nearly got an A, is it worth getting a remark?

Richard Brennan

Assistant principal, Walsall College

Chloe has messaged us to ask: My son sat the Eduqas A-level in English literature and got 73%, which gave him a B. I can see from the grade boundaries that an A is 75%. Would you say it is worth us applying for a remark?

Remarks typically happen with a more senior examiner looking at the script.

A-levels in subjects like English literature are likely to have more subjectivity in the marking of answers than maths or science (where there is more likely to be a clearly correct or incorrect answer) - so you may be more likely to see a grade change if you apply for a remark.

It is worth noting though that remarks can go both up and down.