Slight fall in the number of top A-level grades achieved in Wigan

The new data shows that 8.7 per cent of pupils who sat their A-levels in Wigan this year received three A*-A grades – down from 8.8 per cent in 2017-18.

The percentage of those who achieved AAB or better increased from 16.1 to 17.4 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, the average point score – which represents the average result across all students’ qualifications – across all schools in the area rose from 33.1 to 33.8, equivalent to a higher C grade.

Female pupils performed better than male counterparts overall, with an average point score of 34.3 against 32.9. But 11.8 per cent of boys achieved the highest marks, compared to 6.7 per cent of girls.

Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This year’s statistics show a small increase in the average points score and a small decrease in the percentage of students awarded A*-A.

“This may be linked to changes in the number of students taking A-level subjects which mean that the overall prior attainment of the cohort is a little different from the previous year.

“It may also be linked to the choice of A-level subjects with an increase in the number of entries to sciences which evidence suggests are graded more severely than other subjects. This could partly explain why there has been a slight decrease in the percentage of A*-A grades awarded.”