LONDON: The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19.
In total, more than two in five (44.8 per cent) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, up by 6.3 percentage points on last year when 38.5 per cent achieved the top grades.
In 2019, when exams were last run before the pandemic, just 25.5 per cent of entries achieved an A or above.
Hundreds of thousands of students have been given grades determined by teachers, rather than exams, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Girls performed better than boys at the top grades, and female maths students overtook boys for the first time in the number of A* grades achieved, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show.
Overall, the proportion of entries awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 19.1 per cent, compared with 14.3 per cent in 2020 and 7.8 per cent in 2019.
On Tuesday, Ucas said a record number of students have secured a place on their first-choice university course following the bumper year for results.
But youngsters who missed out on the grades required to meet their offers are likely to face greater competition for a place at top institutions as there could be fewer courses on offer in clearing.
The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Scottish Highers results were also released on Tuesday.
School results in Scotland are consistently lower than last year but have shown a sharp rise since 2019, before the pandemic.
For Highers, the rate of students receiving between and A and a C, known as the attainment rate, fell from 89.3 per cent to 87.3 per cent, while the attainment rate for Advanced Higher dropped to 90.2 per cent from 93.1 per cent.
But the figure for Higher qualifications is significantly above the 2018-19 level, which was just 75 per cent, while the Advanced Higher rate increased from 80 per cent.
This year, teachers in England submitted their decisions on pupils’ grades after drawing on a range of evidence, including mock exams, coursework and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards.
According to an analysis by Ofqual, some 6.9 per cent of students in England were awarded three A*s this year, compared with 4.3 per cent in 2020 and 1.6 per cent in 2019.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has defended this year’s results amid concerns over grade inflation, as he called on people to celebrate young people’s success during a difficult year. Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR exam board, said the higher grades reflected the fact that pupils had “multiple chances” to show their knowledge and they were less likely to have a “bad day” in an exam.
She told a media briefing: “Teachers will have used their experience to assess all students in 2021 against the same standards that would apply when exams take place.
“However, in this unusual year, fewer students are likely to have had a bad day when taking assessments, and they have multiple chances to show what they know and can do. And so a greater proportion than usual will have achieved higher grades.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is presiding a meeting in Islamabad on April 3, 2024. —Facebook/ Mian Shehbaz...
A person is holding a Pakistani passport. — Directorate General of Immigration and Passports website/ FileISLAMABAD:...
An undated image of SIFC meeting in Islamabad. — APP/FileKARACHI: Representatives from the business community held a...
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administers oath to 25 opposition's reserved seats MPAs in KP Assembly,...
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. —AFP/APP/FileISLAMABAD:...
London High Court building. —TheNews/FileLONDON: Former Pakistan Army Major Adil Raja has told the UK High Court...