London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

Five key takeaways from this year's A-level results

Five key takeaways from this year's A-level results

This was no ordinary year of A-levels - both in terms of exams and results.

The students receiving their grades on Thursday experienced three years of disrupted learning because of the pandemic.

And the story wasn't the same for everyone: the impact of school closures varied depending on things like how badly communities were hit by Covid, and how prepared schools were to handle the transition to remote learning.

It is a unique year, too, in that these A-level students had never taken public exams before this summer, after their GCSE exams were cancelled in 2020.

To counteract all of this disruption, special measures were introduced, such as advanced information about topics.

Bearing all of that in mind, here are five key takeaways from this year's results.


1. Top grades have fallen


The percentage of top A-level results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland has fallen since last year - 36.4% of exams were graded at A* or A, compared to 44.8% in 2021.

But that percentage is still higher than 2019 - which is when results were last based on public exams.

Some students are, of course, likely to be disappointed.

But the fall in top grades is also a reflection of a plan announced by England's exam watchdog, Ofqual, to bring grades back down from the sharp rises in 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers' assessments. Similar plans were put in place in Wales and Northern Ireland.

For those heading off to university, competition was toughest for the most academically selective universities and courses.

But overall, the university admissions service, Ucas, said that 65.3% of students who applied to UK universities were accepted by their first choice destination.


2. Differences between regions of England persist


In London, 39% of A-levels were graded A* and A, compared with 30.8% of exam grades in the north east of England.

Last year, it was 47.9% in London and 39.2% in the north east of England.

Students receiving their results on Thursday were part-way through Year 11 when the pandemic hit and schools closed during national lockdowns.

Further school closures followed while they were in Year 12, and many pupils also experienced disruption due to Covid at the beginning of Year 13 as well.

But the disruption did not affect everyone equally. Their experience varied depending on how different regions were affected by the pandemic, and how far schools and families were able to cope during closures.

Back in March, MPs said the "devastating" impact of England's school closures during the pandemic was leading to greater inequality.

Such was the impact in some areas, the Department for Education introduced catch-up tutoring to help those pupils who had fallen most behind.

Some support continues, but from September, cash to arrange tutoring will go directly to schools in England. Previously a company was employed by the government to match schools with tutors.


3. The gap between state and private schools narrowed


According to England's exam regulator, Ofqual, 58% of private school candidates in England were awarded A* and A grades, compared with 30.7% of state school pupils.

Fee-paying schools did particularly well last year when teachers' assessments were the basis for A-level grades.

In 2021, some 70.4% of private school pupils were given A grade or above, compared with just 39.4% of state schools.

While this year's percentage-point gap is narrower, it's still significant.

And it matters because those pupils with top grades will be the ones vying for places at the most competitive universities and on the most heavily contested courses.

Not all pupils received the same support - academic and emotional - when schools closed during lockdowns and students were forced to learn remotely.

Some schools were better able to provide laptops to pupils for remote learning. Their pupils may have had more access to computers and to the internet at home, or more physical space in which to learn.


4. Girls outperformed boys - again


Girls performed better than boys across the board in this year's A-level results.

That includes the percentage of pupils achieving top grades. In total, 37.4% of girls' entries were given A* and A grades, compared with 35.2% of boys' entries.

The gap is smaller than it was in 2021, however, when grades were based on teachers' assessments. That approach led to 46.9% of female candidates being given top grades compared to 42.1% of male candidates.

Nonetheless, the gap between the sexes remains bigger than in 2019, the last year public exams were held prior to the pandemic. Back then it was 25.5% for girls versus 25.4% for boys.

It's important to remember that exams weren't back to normal this year. Pupils had extra information, such as formulae sheets and advanced warning of topics, ahead of their exams.


5. Geography bumped English Literature from the top 10 most popular subjects


The top 10 most popular A-level subjects are now:

1. Maths

2. Psychology

3. Biology

4. Chemistry

5. History

6. Sociology

7. Art and design subjects

8. Business studies

9. Physics

10. Geography

Psychology entries increased the most among the top 10 compared with last year, followed by Business Studies, and Sociology.

Political Studies entries also shot up by 11%.

The number of German A-level entries went up by 3.5%, but Spanish and French both fell.

Entries to English Literature, meanwhile, fell by 9.4% - a trend that has raised concern among head teachers.

The Association of School and College Leaders has previously said pupils are put off the "vital" subject because of "the grind of memorising large amounts of traditional texts".


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
×