Rise in Greater Manchester students gaining top A-level grade

Hundreds of thousands of students across England received their A-level results on Thursday, as classic examinations returned for the second year following teacher-led grades during the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest figures from the exams regulator, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, show 8.2 per cent of 39,075 pupils in Greater Manchester were awarded at least one A*.

This was up on the year before, when 7.4 per cent of pupils achieved an A*.

However, it was well down on the proportion of A* grades handed out in Greater Manchester during the coronavirus pandemic (16.3 per cent), when results were based on teachers' assessments instead of exams. Every area across the country saw a similar fall.

Nationally, nine per cent of pupils achieved an A*, up from 8.5 per cent the year before. It meant pupils in Greater Manchester underperformed their classmates across England.

Excluding 2020-2022, the years of the pandemic, this is the highest proportion of A* grades awarded since they were first handed out in 2010.

Ofqual had said it expected this year’s A-level results to be "broadly similar" to last year, when grades were restored to pre-pandemic levels.

Ofqual’s chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham told a briefing: "There is no grade inflation this year. Standards have been maintained from 2023. Any change is largely due to the ability of the cohort."

Jill Duffy, chairwoman of the Joint Council for Qualifications board of directors and chief executive of the OCR exam board, said: "With A-level grades similar to last year, Gen Z students and their teachers will see some much-needed continuity and stability after the disruptions of the pandemic."

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "While the dark days of the pandemic are in the past, its legacy continues to haunt us, as many of these students experienced severe disruption to their education.

"In particular, this impacted upon young people from disadvantaged backgrounds whose families were also adversely affected by the subsequent cost-of-living crisis."

The pandemic adversely affected high-performing boys more than girls. More boys than girls scored an A* last year, continuing a trend from 2023 and before the pandemic, but girls overtook their male counterparts between 2020 and 2022.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson offered her congratulations to students, telling Times Radio: "They’ve been through an awful lot in recent years, and they’ve shown tremendous resilience.

"They’ve had fantastic support from the staff and teachers within their schools and colleges, and it’s a big and exciting day for them."