A-level results 2024: top grades up in England

A-level results have been released across England today, revealing an increase in top grades awarded - which remain above pre-pandemic levels.

The results, which were expected to be similar to 2023, also show an increase in the gap between the proportion of A and A* grades being achieved in state and private schools - and in England’s highest- and lowest-performing regions.

At a press briefing today, Ofqual’s chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham said: “There is no grade inflation this year. Standards have been maintained from 2023 and any change is largely due to the ability of the cohort.”

This was the third year of A-level exams being held following cancellations in 2020 and 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ofqual completed a two-step process to return to normal grading last year. This year, examiners were asked to maintain standards from 2023 and ensure the standard of work was “broadly comparable” to last year.

Below are the headline figures from today’s A-level results:

• Proportion of top grades increases
• Regional gaps in results
• Widening gap between state and private schools
• A-level grades by gender
• Reaction from the sector
• Results in Wales and Northern Ireland
• Process for missed grades

1. A* and A grades up in England

Across England, 9.3 per cent of entries received an A*, compared with 8.6 per cent last year, while 27.6 per cent of entries achieved an A or A* grade (compared with 26.5 per cent in 2023).

The proportion of pupils achieving the top A* grade was higher than in 2019, when 7.7 per cent achieved an A*, and was higher than any result before the pandemic - going back to when the grade was created in 2010. The proportion of entries achieving A* was higher between 2020 and 2022.

There was also a slight increase in the proportion of A*-C grades achieved - 76 per cent - from 75.4 per cent in 2023 and 75.5 per cent in 2019.

The overall pass rate (A*-E) was broadly similar this year compared with 2023: 97.1 per cent were awarded A*-E compared with 97.2 per cent in 2023 and 97.5 per cent in 2019.

There was also a rise in the number of pupils achieving all A* grades this year. For students who took three A levels, 4,136 got the very top grade in each this year, up from 3,822 last year.

• More on A-level results day:
• Reaction: How resilience in the face of disruption defined this year’s A-level cohort
• Sir Ian Bauckham: Ofqual chief raises concern over region’s A-level performance
• Trends: 8 key trends in this year’s A-level results
• Subjects: How did each area perform?

2. Increase in gap between South and lowest-performing regions

All regions saw the proportion of A*/A grades increase compared with last year’s A levels.

However, the gap between the lowest- and highest-performing regions has increased. The lowest-performing region, the East Midlands, saw 22.5 per cent of entries achieve the top grades, compared with 31.3 per cent in London - an 8.8 percentage point gap.

The last two years of A levels have seen wider regional gaps between the North and South than when exams were held before the pandemic.

Last year, 22 per cent of entries in the North East achieved an A or an A*, compared with 30 per cent of entries in London and 30.3 per cent of entries in the South East - an 8.3 percentage point gap between the North East and South East.

In 2019, the lowest proportion of top grades was received in the East Midlands (21 per cent), compared with the highest in the South East (28.3 per cent).

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has told the government it should bring in a new “student premium” for disadvantaged 16- to 19-year-olds to prevent them from falling further behind their peers.

Exam data by pupil disadvantage is not published today.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “The education secretary was right to pledge earlier this week to look at long-standing regional disparities.”

He called for the new government’s taskforce to address the root causes of child poverty to help tackle disadvantage gaps.

Earlier this week, Bridget Phillipson said that the previous government had left behind a legacy of regional “disparities” in educational outcomes and an attainment gap between private school pupils and their peers in state schools.

3. Gap increases between state and private schools

The gap in top A-level grades being awarded has increased between state and private schools.

The data published today breaks down results by private and different types of state schools.

This year, 26.5 per cent of entries from academies received A* or A grades - up slightly from 25.4 per in 2023. In secondary smaller comprehensives, there was a smaller year-on-year increase, from 22 per cent to 22.3 per cent.

Independent schools saw nearly half (49.4 per cent) of entries awarded the top grades - up from 47.4 per cent in 2023.

Free schools saw the largest increase in the proportion of top grades achieved - up from 33.8 per cent in 2023 to 37.1 per cent in 2024.

4. Boys get more A*s again

Entries from girls were awarded more top grades for the fifth year in a row with 27.8 per cent getting an A* or A, compared with 27.4 per cent of entries from boys. The gap is similar to last year.

However, boys were more likely to get the top A* grades - 9.5 per cent of entries from boys were awarded the A* compared with 9.1 per cent of entries from girls.

This is similar to last year, when slightly more boys were awarded A*s overall at 8.8 per cent, compared with 8.5 per cent of girls.

The gap for top grades was slightly bigger than in 2019, when A/A* grades were awarded to 25.1 per cent of entries from female candidates and 25.2 per cent of entries from male candidates.

In 2023, 73.1 per cent of boys got a C or above, compared with 77.4 per cent of girls.

Last year, girls had a slightly higher pass rate (A*-E) at 97.6 per cent, compared with 96.7 per cent for girls.

Reaction from the education sector

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the continuing regional attainment gaps reflected the “differing rates of prosperity and disadvantage”.

He added: “While the dark days of the pandemic are in the past, its legacy continues to haunt us, as many of these students experienced severe disruption to their education.

“In particular, this impacted upon young people from disadvantaged backgrounds whose families were also adversely affected by the subsequent cost-of-living crisis.”

Niamh Sweeney, deputy general secretary of the NEU teaching union, congratulated students on their results but said that the exam system is currently “narrow, overly prescriptive and in need of urgent reform”.

A-level A*-C pass rate falls in Wales

In Wales, the A*-C pass rate in 2024 was 76.5 per cent, down from 78.9 per cent in 2023 (it was 76.3 per cent in 2019).

The proportion of Welsh A-level entries attaining A* grades was 10.1 per cent, down from 13.5 per cent in 2023, while the proportion of entries awarded A and above dropped from 34 per cent in 2023 to 29.9 per cent this year.

Top grades drop in Northern Ireland

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, the A*-C pass rate was 85.1 per cent, down from 87.3 per cent in 2023 (but slightly up on 2019‘s figure of 85 per cent).

The proportion of Northern Irish A-level entries attaining A* grades was 8.2 per cent, down from 11.6 per cent in 2023. The proportion of entries awarded A and above also decreased, from 37.5 per cent in 2023 to 30.3 per cent in 2024.

Missing the grades

This year’s cohort of Year 13s took their GCSEs in 2022 - the first year of a return to exams, though with protections built in.

However, there have been warnings across the sector that the impact of Covid is ongoing for many students.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News this morning: “For those who perhaps fall slightly short, there are lots of options out there. Many people can be there to provide advice and support, whether that’s the school or college, Ucas through clearing, or the National Careers Service.

“So I want to wish them all the very best, but to reassure them that plenty of opportunities are there.”

For those who don’t get the grades required, there are multiple options:

• How to appeal if you think your grade is wrong
• How to navigate university clearing
• Find answers to more A-level results day questions

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