The proportion of A* grades awarded to private school A-level entries has fallen 11 percentage points from last year’s figure, narrowing the gap with the state sector.

The proportion of top grades achieved at independent schools dropped to 28.7 per cent, compared with 39.7 per cent last year, when private schools achieved triple the proportion recorded for state schools after grades were determined by teachers rather than exams. 

At academies and secondary selective schools, top grades also dropped, but less dramatically.

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A* grades awarded at academies dropped from 17.2 per cent in 2021 to 13.8 per cent this year, while top grades at selective state schools fell from 25.8 per cent to 22.6 per cent.

But despite this, top grades were still higher than in 2019 - the last time students sat exams.

In 2019, A* grades were awarded to 27.7 per cent of independent school entries - 1 percentage point lower than in this year - while 7.2 per cent of academy entries and 11.8 per cent of selective school entries achieved top marks.

Barnaby Lenon, chair of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said that the drop in top A-level grades at private schools was expected to be more dramatic than in the state sector because private school students were “clustered” around the top grades.

He said: “Independent schools have such a high proportion clustered in that A/A* bracket and it’s quite right that there should be a correction this year.

“I’ve spoken to a limited number of schools this morning and they have all been incredibly pleased. In some cases their results have actually improved”.

Results always expected to fall

Last year, the number of A* grades awarded to students at private schools rose by three times more than their state school counterparts. 

While independent schools saw a 12 percentage-point increase on A* grades last year, state comprehensives and middle schools saw a much smaller increase of 3.9 percentage points.

This left the gap between independent and state comprehensives at 24.2 percentage points in 2021.

Concerns had previously been raised earlier in the year that there would be a wider attainment gap in the results for 2021.

Exams were cancelled in 2021 for the second consecutive year and students were awarded teacher-assessed grades, leading to grade inflation.

But this year, exams returned with mitigations put in place to help students who had their learning disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, including advance information topics and exam aids such as formulae and equation sheets.

Ofqual had previously warned that top grades would be lower this year than last year, but would be higher than in 2019.