Why bumper A-Level results could be a problem

Opinion
9 Aug 2025 • 9:37 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • An education expert predicts that the proportion of A-level entries achieving top grades this summer will exceed pre-Covid levels.
  • Professor Alan Smithers of the University of Buckingham warns that grade inflation may be re-emerging, with A or A* grades potentially settling at a new normal of 27-28 per cent.
  • Last year, 27.8 per cent of UK A-level entries received an A or A* grade, significantly higher than the 25.4 per cent recorded in 2019 before the pandemic.
  • Girls are expected to continue outperforming boys in overall top A-level grades, despite boys achieving a higher proportion of A*s.
  • Provisional data indicates a decline in A-level entries for social sciences like psychology and sociology, while entries for mathematics, physics, and chemistry have increased.

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