Top A-level grades increase, but disparities widen

It’s A-level results day, and this year has seen more top grades achieved by students across England. For the first time since the pandemic, boys have outscored girls.

The 2025 cohort was slightly smaller, with 814,335 a-level entries compared to last year’s 816,890, despite an increase in the number of 18-year-olds in 2025.

This year, 28.2 per cent of grades were A or above, an increase from 27.6 per cent last year. This is 12 per cent rise on the 25.2 per cent in pre-pandemic 2019.

The proportion of A* grades has roughly stayed the same, with 9.4 per cent of students receiving them this year compared to 9.3 per cent in 2023.

Worryingly, the gap between the highest performing regions and the lowest performing regions attaining As and A*s has grown, from 8. Per centre points last year to 9.2 in 2025. The North East saw a fall in top grades, and is the only region in England where the proportion of A* and A grades is down on both last year and 2019.

The North East received the lowest proportion of top grades at 22.9 per cent, which is down from 23.9 per cent the previous year. London received the highest percentage of top A-level grades.

This year, 23.1 per cent of grades from academies were awarded the top grades, with three quarters getting a C or above. In private schools, the top grades went to 48.4 per cent of entries and 89.7 per cent got a C or higher. This is a 22.9 percentage point gap for top grades, and an even larger gap between independent schools and comprehensive schools. Just 22.3 per cent of students attending comprehensive schools achieved the top grades.

UCAS has also reported that a record number of 18-year-olds have been accepted into university this year, with 32.5 per cent of students securing a place. This is up from 32.1 per cent in 2024.

Critically, the proportion of students from the poorest backgrounds increased from 19.4 per cent last year to 20 per cent in 2025.