In 2025, A-level students in England achieved record levels of top grades, with 28.2% earning A or A* and 9.4% awarded the highest A* grade. This marks an increase from 27.6% and 9.3% in 2024, respectively, and surpasses the pre-pandemic figure of 25.2% in 2019 .
The improvement was notably driven male students, who outperformed female students in top grades for the first time since 2018. 28.4% of boys’ entries received A or A*, compared to 28.2% of girls’ entries .
Despite the overall rise in top grades, regional disparities persist. London had the highest proportion of top grades at 32.1%, while the North East had the lowest at 22.9%, remaining the only region below pre-pandemic performance .
The number of students achieving three A* grades slightly decreased from 4,136 in 2024 to 4,043 in 2025, though this remains a 45% increase compared to 2019 .
Maths continued to be the most popular A-level subject, while business studies entered the top five for the first time. Humanities and modern foreign languages, such as French, German, and Spanish, saw declines in enrollment .
In terms of university admissions, a record number of students secured places, with over 255,000 18-year-olds accepted into UK universities, marking a 4.7% increase from 2024 .The Guardian
Education leaders have called for systemic reforms to address regional and socio-economic disparities in education, despite the overall positive results.
