Top marks have risen despite an expected return to pre-pandemic levels, while the number of exams sat also increased

A-level top grades were higher this year with almost one in ten awarded an A* despite being expected to return to pre-pandemic levels, results revealed this morning.

Results were up because they were the first cohort since the pandemic to sit GCSE exams and performed better than last year’s school-leavers, the head of the exams regulator suggested.

Grades published this morning for more than 300,000 teenagers showed that 9.3 per cent of all A-levels in the UK were awarded an A*, higher than the 8.9 per cent last year and 7.7 per cent in 2019, the last year before Covid-19. The proportion graded at least an A was 27.8 per cent, up from 27.2 per cent last year and 25.4 per cent in 2019.

Students at Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton, London, celebrate their results. The number of A* and A grades increased across England

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

This is the biggest proportion of A*/A grades since the A* grade was introduced in 2010, apart from the Covid years of 2020-22.

It was the first year of normal grading across the three home countries that sit A-levels. England returned to normality last year after two years of school and teacher-assessed results during the pandemic. Wales and Northern Ireland pledged to bring results back to normal this year for the first time; there were considerable falls in top grades, but not enough to bring them back to 2019 levels nor to dent the overall results for the three countries. Scotland sets different qualifications.

Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at the exams regulator Ofqual, which covers England, said: “It’s normal for results to vary year-on-year due to differences in the cohort and how students perform. These candidates were the first to take externally-assessed GCSEs and used those results to help them choose A-levels. It’s likely that will be the most significant factor and the majority of the change this year is due to that.”

• A-level results day 2024: a full guide to Ucas clearing

The surge in top grades came as the number of exams sat grew by 2.2 per cent in a year and the numbers sitting A-levels increased by 1.9 per cent to 341,710. Entries for A-level have increased by nearly 20,000 in a year and by more than 80,000 since 2019, to almost 887,000.

While 27.8 per cent achieved an A* this year, this had peaked at 44.8 per cent in 2021 when teachers assessed grades.

England aimed to bring results back to 2019 levels last year but Wales and Northern Ireland took a softer approach, which was reflected in the results when 37.5 per cent of exams sat in Northern Ireland and 34 per cent of exams sat in Wales were awarded at least an A grade compared with 26.5 per cent in England.

This year 30.3 per cent of those in Northern Ireland and 29.9 per cent of those in Wales were awarded at least an A, compared with 27.6 per cent in England.

Concerns about widening regional disadvantages were borne out in England, with 11.3 per cent of those in London graded an A* and 31.3 per cent at least an A compared with the East Midlands achieving 6.8 per cent at A* and 22.5 per cent at A. All regions did better than last year, but the North East pulled ahead of the East Midlands.

Private schools did particularly well, with 49.4 per cent of results at A or above, up from 47.4 per cent last year. Grammars had 41 per cent of A-levels at A or above, up from 39.3 per cent last year. Results for academies increased from 25.4 per cent to 26.5 per cent and for comprehensives from 22 per cent to 22.3 per cent.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, congratulated pupils at Loreto College in Manchester

OWEN HUMPHREYS/PA

Ofqual had announced last year that grades would be brought back to 2019 levels, the year before the pandemic, but did not achieve this at the top grades. In 2019 A*s were given to 7.7 per cent of all grades in England and to 8.6 per cent in 2023 but this increased to 9.3 per cent this year.

Experts had predicted that it could fall if a decision were taken to bring it back to 2019 levels.

Overall, 76 per cent of UK results were graded A* to C grade compared with 75.4 per cent last year and 75.5 per cent in 2019.

The number of A-level students in England who took three A-levels and achieved all A* grades is still far higher than it was in 2019, at 4,135 compared with 3,820 last year and 2,785 in 2019, but far lower than the 12,945 of 2021.

At Harris City Academy in Crystal Palace, south London, Sarim Haye did his parents proud with three A* grades