The proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades has risen again, but “regional inequalities are getting worse, not better”, according to exam boards.
Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their A-level, T-level and BTec results, with many finding out if they have secured a place at universities, which have accepted a record number on to degree courses this year.
More than a quarter (28.3%) of A-levels in the UK were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.5 percentage points on last year (27.8%), according to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents exam boards.
A-levels latest: Record number accepted into universities
This was also higher than 2019, before the pandemic, when 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades.
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, dismissed accusations of grade inflation, adding that changes were small and down to a “stronger cohort” of students compared with previous years.
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While the overall number of A-level entries fell by 0.5%, the pass rate – results graded A* to E – increased to 97.5%, a rise of 0.3 percentage points on last year.
In contrast, the number of T-level entries in England jumped 61.4% (11,909 compared with 7,421 in 2024) and 91.4% achieved at least a pass in 2025.
Although figures show more than a quarter of the students (27%) are still leaving before completing their course.
Regional gap widens
When it comes to how different areas of England performed in this year’s A-level results, there is a regional divide.
The top performing regions, receiving A grade or above, were London (32.1%), the South East (31.2%) and East of England (28.0%), according to figures from Ofqual.
The worst performing region was the North East (22.9%), followed by the East Midlands (23.8%) and West Midlands (24.2%).
Jill Duffy, chairwoman of JCQ board of directors, said: “Regional inequalities are getting worse, not better. The gap at top grades has grown again.
“London is once again the top-performing region and is now 9.2 percentage points ahead of the North East.”
The top grades in the West Midlands and North East are slightly down from last year. They are slightly up in the North West, London, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
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When looking at the top-performing counties in England, Rutland came top with 41.2% of students receiving an A or above, followed by Surrey (36.0%), Buckinghamshire (34.2%), East Sussex (33.7%) and Oxfordshire (33.5%).
At the bottom of the table was Isle of Wight (17.6%), Bedfordshire (19.9%), Cumbria and Staffordshire (both tied at 20.1%) and Suffolk (21.3%).
Meanwhile, private school pupils are nearly twice as likely (48.5%) as their state-funded school peers to get top grades for their A-levels (25.4%).
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the overall results reflected the “hard work of teachers and students”, but added his concerns about the contrast in performance.
“We continue to see big differences in attainment between regions, reflecting socioeconomic factors which represent a massive challenge, not only for the education sector but our society as a whole,” he said.
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Record number going to university
The number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen to a record high, UCAS figures show.
For 18-year-olds in the UK, 255,130 applicants have been accepted on to a university or college course – up 4.7% on last year.
Overall, 82% of UK 18-year-old applicants awaiting a decision on results day secured their first choice – which was the same proportion as last year.
Even if you didn’t get the grades you had hoped for, there are still options to choose from.
Rob Tucker, the head of admissions at London South Bank University, shared five tips to make sure you’re able to study a course you want.
• Don’t panic – admissions teams don’t just look at results, they also take into account your personal statement, skills and experience
• Clearing, which matches students to university courses that still have spaces, might be an option
• Consider your choices – there will be similar degrees with similar modules to what you initially wanted to study
• Think about where you’d like to study – location has a big influence on your university experience
• Pick up the phone and have your details ready – it’s better to speak to people on the phone, so make sure to call and have your UCAS number and results to hand
Boys v girls
While figures show boys slightly outperformed girls in terms of top grades, for the first time in seven years, it is a tiny shift.
There is a clearer gender divide in the types of subjects. Entries for maths have soared in the last decade, but there were 70,255 entries from boys, compared with 41,883 from girls.
But when it comes to Core Maths (which focuses on practical, real-world applications) 21.6% female students received an A or above, outperforming male students, of which 17.9% received top grades.
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Changing trends in subjects
Mathematics and psychology top the table as the most popular subjects in England, both increased in popularity between 2020-2025.
But both history and English literature have seen sharp declines in popularity over the same period.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators returned to pre-pandemic grading in 2024, a year later than in England.
Across Northern Ireland, there was a rise in top A-level grades with 8.7% receiving an A*, an increase of 0.5 percentage points on 2024, while 30.4% of entries achieved grades A* or A, compared with 30.3% last year.
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In Wales, 10.5% achieved an A*, a 0.4 percentage point increase on last year, and 29.5% secured an A* or A, representing a 0.4 percentage point fall on 2024.
Both Wales and Northern Ireland saw a very slight rise in the pass rate of 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively.
Meanwhile, students in Scotland received their results last Tuesday.
Figures from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) showed the proportion receiving A to C grades increased, including National 5 exams (78.4% compared with 77.2% last year), Highers (75.9% up from 74.9%) and Advanced Highers (76.7% a rise from 75.3%).
