Sean Coughlan, Hannah Richardson and Jeanette Long
Top grades for A-level results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have reached a record high – with 44.8% getting A* or A grades.
This second year of replacement results after exams were cancelled, has seen even higher results than last year when 38.5% achieved top grades.
Heads’ leader Geoff Barton said it was “comparing apples with oranges” to compare these results with other years.
More than 200,000 students are also getting vocational BTec results.
In Scotland, the pass rates for Highers and Nationals dropped slightly – but scores were still well above pre-pandemic levels.