More teenagers than ever in the United Kingdom scored a grade A in their A-levels this year as pass rates continued to rise, national results showed today.
But the rise in the overall pass rate was lower than many had expected this year. Examiners awarded about 178,700 A-grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - up by 0.4 per cent to 22.8 per cent of all A-Level entries this year.
It was also the 23rd year in a row in which the overall A-Level pass rate increased, with 96.2 per cent achieving at least a grade E this year, up slightly from 96 per cent in 2004.
Students at Withington Girls' School, Hannah Buckley (R) and Sophie Ramsden, embrace after receiving their A-level exam results in Manchester today. REUTERS/Howard
For the second year in a row, boys narrowed the gap with girls, although girls continued to score better grades than their male classmates overall.
The results come amid a continuing debate over whether A-levels have been dumbed down. Headteachers have warned that so many teenagers now score A-grades that it was becoming impossible for universities and employers to distinguish between the brightest students.
Other critics said it was now easier to get good grades than ever before.
But Dr Ellie Johnson Searle, director of the Joint Council for Qualifications, which published the national figures, insisted the results reflected the "hard work" of students and their teachers.