Students across the UK are celebrating their A-level results today, as a record 44.8 per cent of entries have been given an A* or A.  Grades were determined by teacher assessments as opposed to exams which has led to another year of grade inflation. 

The closure of schools at the start of the year led to the decision to cancel exams and replace them with teacher-judged assessments, including classroom tests, mock exams and work completed throughout the year.

In 2019, when exams were last run, 25.7 per cent pupils achieved an A or above, this increased to 38.5 per cent in 2020, to 44.8 per cent this year. Last year’s results day caused an uproar after 40 per cent of A-level results were initially downgraded using an algorithm based on schools’ prior grades. A government U-turn resulted in grades being estimated by their teachers.

Despite another year of grade inflation, the A-level attainment gap between rich and poor students, and Black students and those from other ethnic groups has widened in England, according to an analysis of this year’s grades by the exam regulator Ofqual.

Sam Freedman, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government, responded to these findings on Twitter: “Often [I] get told that exams are unfair on young people from poorer backgrounds but this is further evidence that they do worse under systems that do not use blind marking on standardised tests.”

Private schools in England recorded the largest increase in top A-level grades, with a 9.3 percentage point increase in A and A*s from 2020. This compares to a 6.2 percentage points increase at state comprehensives. 70.1 per cent of A-level grades at private schools were at A or above, compared with 39.3 per cent of grades at state comprehensives.

But with more children than ever receiving an A* or A, there are many success stories for Black students this results day. In particular, Brampton Manor Academy, an inner-city state school, is celebrating that 55 of its pupils got the A-level grades needed for them to study at Oxbridge, which is more than the 48 offers made to Eton College students.

The majority of pupils at Brampton Manor Academy in Newham, east London, are from ethnic minority backgrounds, in receipt of free school meals (FSMs), or will be the first in their family to attend university.

Results Day Success stories

Gabriel Marshall, 18, a student at Brampton Manor Academy, is celebrating three A*s today which has confirmed his place to study Economics at the University of Cambridge. 

“What made it sink in today is not only the fact it’s confirmed, but the reaction of my family,

Marshall said from the moment he got the offer in January for Cambridge, it was “surreal”. “What made it sink in today is not only the fact it’s confirmed, but the reaction of my family,” he said.

Marshall said he really “struggled to pay attention” during online lessons, as he was doing them in his bedroom, “and you regard your room as a place of comfort and rest”. However, he said Brampton “did really well in maintaining the level of learning”, with students having to turn their cameras on and wear uniform everyday: “you can’t just lay in bed and listen to the Zoom calls.”

Looking forward to Cambridge, Marshall said: “I’m excited for the new environment because it’s a change and it’s the biggest change that I’m going to have come across in my life so far.”

Another who is celebrating today is Leticia Kipa, 18, a student at Haberdashers’ Knights Academy in Lewisham. She received two distinction*s and a distinction in Health and Social today, confirming her place at the University of Nottingham to study Sociology and Social Policy.

Kipa, who wants to be a family and marriage therapist in the future, says that she was “so excited” to find out the news, as she didn’t expect to get those results after her year at school was dramatically impacted by the pandemic.

Calling the last year “difficult”, Kipa explained that “specifically at my school, we had to frequently study from home through Microsoft Teams and there was just that instability. A lot of us kind of lost motivation, so I think that’s what really threw us off.” Today, she is “really thankful” for the position she is in. 

Kipa says she is “excited for the whole experience [of university], and finally getting to do what [she] genuinely want[s] to do”.

She is expecting the first term to be online at her chosen university, but says she is “feeling a little bit better about it” after being online for the majority of the last year. However, she does hope that it returns to in-person teaching after that. 

A big congratulations from everyone at The Voice to those who are celebrating their results today.