The proportion of A-level entries receiving an A* has fallen to its lowest level in five years.

An A* grade was awarded to 8 per cent of entries in the UK - down from 8.3 per cent last year, and the lowest proportion since 2013.

The share of entries receiving A*-E grades has also fallen - to its lowest since 2010, dropping 0.3 percentage points from 97.9 per cent in 2017 to 97.6 per cent this year.

One commentator suggested any fall in performance might be explained by a rise in unconditional offers from universities.

Others may suspect that the drops have been caused by reforms to the qualifications, which have put more emphasis on the final exams.

This is the second summer that students have sat the new “linear” A levels. The qualifications were reformed to reduce the amount of coursework and replace modular structures with end-of-course exams.

Last year the reformed exams were sat in the first tranche of 13 subjects, and this year they were sat in a further 12: classical Greek; Latin; dance; drama and theatre; geography; French; German; Spanish; music; physical education; religious studies; and maths (for a small cohort who took the new A-level in one year).

But despite the changes, the Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents exam boards, said the national picture was one of “stability”.

‘National stability’ in A levels

And while there was a fall in the proportion of A* grades and the overall pass rate, the share of entries receiving A*/A grades increased slightly from 26.3 per cent in 2017 to 26.4 per cent this year.

Michael Turner, JCQ’s director general, said: “The overall picture shown by today’s A-level results is one of national stability during a period of significant reform.

“Students, and teachers, should be congratulated. They can be confident in their grades, knowing they have been achieved in a world-class system that is robust, challenging, and fair.”

This year saw an increase in entries to Stem (science, technology and maths) subjects, which now account for 36.2 per cent of all UK A-level entries.

The combined number of entries in French, Spanish and German fell by 7.9 per cent on last year, but entries in some other languages were up, with more students now taking A levels in Chinese than German for the first time ever.

Predictions that boys would widen the gap they had opened up on girls in recent years for the top grades, thanks to more emphasis being placed on exams, did not materialise. The gender gap narrowed slightly for both A* grades and A*/A grades.

Mr Turner added: “Taking examinations and receiving results can be a challenging time for students. For those who have achieved the grades they wanted or needed, congratulations.

“For those who haven’t, there are many other paths and opportunities available, so take time to seek advice and guidance from teachers, parents and friends.”