A-level results released today show an increase in top grades across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Maths continues to be the most popular subject, and top grades have risen.
A total of 262,820 18-year-olds have secured a place at university or college, which is a 3% increase compared to last year.
However, some trends are highlighted as concerning. Humanities subjects accounted for only a quarter of entries, and subject choices are becoming more specialised. There are also significant gender disparities, with girls representing 79% of English A-level entries but only 19% in computing.
Geographical inequalities are also noted, with young people in London almost twice as likely to apply to university as those in north-east England. While private schools saw a slight increase in pupils achieving A* or A grades (46.8%), only 13% of college learners achieved these marks.
T-levels have shown improvement, but their newness makes this year's results difficult to fully assess. The dropout rate for T-levels remains higher than the qualifications they are intended to replace, and take-up is still low.