A-level results: Key numbers and trends

Here are the main numbers and trends in this year’s A-level results:

– The proportion of candidates receiving top grades has risen for the second year in a row and remains higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 28.3% of entries were awarded either an A or A*, up from 27.8% in 2024 and above 25.4% in 2019.

This is the highest proportion on record outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22 (the figure peaked at 44.8% in 2021).

– Some 9.4% of entries received an A*.

This is also up on last year (9.3%) and higher than the figure for 2019 (7.7%).

Discounting the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22 – when the figure peaked at 19.1% in 2021 – 9.4% is the highest proportion since the A* grade was first awarded in 2010.

– There were 77.9% of entries that received a C or above, up from 76.4% in 2024 and above the pre-pandemic figure of 75.9% in 2019.

This is again the highest percentage for this level of grade outside the pandemic (the figure peaked at 88.5% in 2021).

– The overall pass rate (grades A* to E) was 97.5%. This is up from 97.2% in 2024 but below 2019, which was 97.6%.

– Across the regions of England, London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded grades of A or A* (32.1%, up from 31.3% in 2024) while north-east England had the lowest (22.9%, down from 23.9% in 2024).

The gap between these two regions now stands at 9.2 percentage points, up from 7.4 points last year and the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to analysis by the PA news agency.

– Some 30.4% of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.5%) and England (28.2%).

– Boys have taken a lead over girls in the top grades for the first time since 2018.

The proportion of boys’ entries awarded A or A* this year was 28.4%, 0.2 percentage points higher than the equivalent figure for girls’ entries (28.2%).

Last year, girls led boys by 0.4 percentage points (28.0% for girls, 27.6% for boys).

– Boys have extended their lead over girls in the highest grade, A*.

The proportion of boys’ entries awarded A* this year was 9.9%, 0.8 points higher than girls (9.1%).

Last year, boys led girls by 0.4 percentage points (9.5% for boys, 9.1% for girls).

Boys led girls at A* from 2012 through to 2019, before girls moved in front during the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, after which boys reclaimed a lead in 2023.

– The most popular subject this year was maths, for the 12th year in a row. It had 112,138 entries, up 4.4% from 107,427 in 2024.

Psychology remains the second most popular subject. It had 75,943 entries, down 3.3% from 78,556 in 2024.

Biology was once again the third most popular subject, with 71,400 entries, a fall of 4.0% from 74,367.

Business studies has entered the top five most popular subjects for the first time, ranking in fifth place and replacing history which has dropped to seventh.

Physics has jumped from ninth place to sixth.

– A total of 882,509 A-levels were awarded this year, down 0.5% on last year’s 886,514.