Exams results: Young people achieve record A-level scores but Hghers drop

Young people around the UK have been receiving their exam results, with more A-level students being given top grades than ever before.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the results have reached a record high - with 44.8% getting A* or A grades, even higher than last year, when 36.5% achieved top grades.

The pass rate for Scottish school qualifications dropped slightly in 2021 - but scores were still well above what they were before the pandemic.

The percentage of pupils achieving A to C grades in Scottish Highers fell from 89.3% in 2020 to 87.3% in 2021.

But that was still significantly above the 75% pass rate from 2019, and a record high number of awards overall.

Across the UK, 50.8% of A-level students in Northern Ireland achieved A* and A grades, while in Wales there was 48.3%, and England 44.3%.

More than 200,000 students will also be getting vocational BTec results, while in Scotland, results for Higher and National exams are being issued.

England's Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, praised students for their work in an "extraordinary and challenging year".

"We should all celebrate their resilience and ability to overcome adversity," he said.

What exam results are students getting?

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, students have been getting their A-level grades, subject-based qualifications taken mostly by pupils aged 16-18 after they have done their GCSEs.

Some will also be getting vocational BTEC results, which are specialist work-related qualifications.

In Scotland, Higher and National results are being issued. Highers are roughly equivalent to A-levels while Nationals are of a similar level to GCSEs.

Find out more about the different kinds of exams.

How have the results been decided?

Schools have been able to use different methods for grading students, including "mini-exams", coursework and mock exams.

One in five schools have had a sample of their grades checked by exam boards, to try to ensure they aren't using different standards of marking in different schools.

Results given to students have been much higher using teacher-assessed grades than if students had taken the exams as in previous years.

Scotland's Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said pupils had delivered "a strong set of results, achieved under extraordinary circumstances".

Formal exams were cancelled for the second year in a row

A total of 90.2% of Advanced Higher candidates achieved a pass, down from 93.1% in 2020, while National 5 scores dropped from 89% to 85.8%.

In fact the amount of people getting top A* and A A-level grades has risen by almost 75% since the last time students sat formal exams in 2019.

Heads' leader Geoff Barton said it would be like "comparing apples with oranges" to compare these results with other years.

Simon Lebus from Ofqual - a body that regulates exams - said students had been "fairly treated" and the grades, based on teachers' judgements, could be trusted.

Last year there were protests over the government's use of an algorithm to determine results, which was later scrapped

There has been concern that the amount of people being awarded higher grades could put pressure on university places, with record numbers of people are applying.

Universities have had more than 680,000 applications - more than ever before.

As a result there have been early warnings that the most popular universities and courses, for example medicine, may be over-subscribed and some students may need to defer their places until next year.