Results day: A-level grades lower than last two years but higher than pre-pandemic levels | UK News
The A-level scores UK students received this year are lower than in 2021 and 2020 but still well above pre-pandemic levels – the last time students took a physical exam.
Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will eagerly open their results today – with teenagers in Scotland receiving their results last week.
They are the first cohort to take the exams since the COVID-19 outbreak. push the rating system into chaos.
The overall pass rate – from A* to E – this year is 98.4%, down slightly from 99.5% in 2021 but higher than the 97.6% achieved in 2019.
Tests that received the highest scores for A* and A dropped 8.4 points from 44.8% last year to 36.4% – but up 11.0 points from 25.4% in 2019.
This year is expected to be highly competitive for university positions, like Ucas admissions service admits that universities have been more cautious in their offers.
However, the results show that a record 425,830 students will get a place at a UK university this year, with 18-year-olds more disadvantaged than ever to get a place.
Math remains the most popular subject, accounting for 11.3% of all A-level entries, while English has seen a drop in submissions this year.
Perhaps to reflect the tumultuous times we live in, there has been an increase in Political Studies entries (+11%) this year.
The Joint Council on Qualifications (JCQ) says girls continue to outperform boys overall, with A* to E scores of 98.7% for the first, compared with 98.1% for the first. with the following ratings.
However, the results show that the trend is less pronounced this year, as boys close the gap in grades A* and the proportion of boys who score A or above.
In Northern Ireland, more than 25,000 students have received their results, with the overall pass rate up slightly this year to 99.1%.
In Wales, 98% of pupils scored A*-E, with 17.1% of pupils scoring A*.
Speaking ahead of the results being announced, education secretary James Cleverly said there were “always” plans to score this year lower than the two most recent coronavirus-affected years.
He told Sky News: “They were more generous, and I think it is justifiable, that they were more generous during the pandemic years.
“It’s always been a plan to bring them back. That’s going to happen this year, so students may get a little lower grade than what they expected and they were hoping for.
“But, like I said, we’re going to see the majority of students get into the schools they want.”
Kath Thomas, JCQ’s interim chief executive, said the result “marks an important milestone” in the country’s recovery from the pandemic.
“Not only is this the culmination of two years of hard work, but these students are the first to take the official summer exam in three years, so we should all celebrate the achievement,” she said. this.
“Exams are the fairest way to judge students, because they give everyone a chance to show off what they know.
“Thus, today’s results mark an important milestone in our recovery from the pandemic and a testament to the diligence and resilience of young people and school staff across the globe. country.”
