In England, A-level grades are expected to return to a more typical distribution this year, marking the first instance since the Covid pandemic’s school closures and exam cancellations.
This year’s grades will mirror those from 2019, before the pandemic, aligning the proportion of A* to E grades with the results from GCSE exams taken by the same students two years prior.
While most students who took A-levels this spring faced pandemic disruption during their early secondary school years, they are the first cohort to complete their exam years without significant disruptions.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has prioritized addressing the challenges faced by British white working-class youngsters in the coming year. The government will unveil its strategy in a schools white paper this autumn.
Prof Alan Smithers from Buckingham University’s Centre for Education and Employment Research noted that A-level grades could stabilize this year, returning to pre-pandemic levels after fluctuations caused by Covid.
Smithers pointed out that although the increase in A* and A grades was unexpected in 2024, the outcome this year is likely to be closer to the previous year’s results, which were marginally higher than pre-Covid levels.
However, Smithers cautioned of variability in grades across subjects, changes in entry patterns, and shifts in the field of study distribution between sexes, which could influence the outcomes.
The surge in top A* and A grades from school assessments in 2020 and 2021, which continued at higher rates even when exams resumed in 2022, puzzles experts, as pre-pandemic levels have been exceeded.
Analysts at FFT Education Datalab research unit observed a stabilization in entry patterns following the surge in high-GCSE grades, enabling more students to enroll in A-level courses.
This year, vocational subjects like business studies and economics are expected to surpass academic disciplines such as history, while the sciences and maths continue to rise in popularity, despite the drop in overall A-level entries.
About 250,000 sixth-formers in England will receive their A-level results on Thursday, with students in Wales and Northern Ireland receiving theirs on the same day.
Scotland has already released results for its Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications, indicating a record number of students achieving grades A to C in Highers.
University applications from school leavers in England have increased as institutions strive to fill vacancies following a decline in international applications.
Education Secretary Phillipson described the underachievement of white working-class students as a “national disgrace” and pledged to address the significant attainment gap in the forthcoming white paper.
The data shows that significantly fewer white British students eligible for free school meals achieved a “strong pass” in their English and maths GCSEs compared to all state school pupils.
Phillipson emphasized the need for an ambitious strategy to tackle the intergenerational challenges faced by many young people in their educational and professional pursuits.
