Students saw the biggest ever drop in A-level results today with top grades plunging by a quarter as exam chiefs battle pandemic grade inflation.
Teenagers now face a scramble to secure university places in one of the most fiercely competitive clearing rounds yet. Top grades dropped by 25 per cent compared to last year, but are still higher than before the pandemic.
It means there were 73,000 fewer top grades awarded this year than last year, but 32,000 more than in 2019. Results were deliberately lower for the second year running as exams watchdog Ofqual aimed to reduce grades that had spiralled during the pandemic when exams were cancelled and marks were based on teacher assessment.
Geoff Barton, head of the Association of School and College Leaders, said today’s results will feel like a “bruising experience” for many students.
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