A-level grades edge down, as university places rise

A-level grades have edged down this year, as pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive their results. There has been a slight fall in A* and A grades and the pass rate is down for the first time in over 30 years. But there are a record number of university places available and students could still get places even if they miss their grades. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said the UK government is ‘lifting the cap on aspiration’, according to BBC. Exam officials said the results of this year’s A-levels are broadly ‘stable’. But for the 3rd successive year the A* and A grades have fallen slightly – down from 26.3% to 26% (A* - down 0.3 percentage points). This year, 8.5 per cent of boys achieved A*, compared with 7.9% of girls. There were marginal falls in the proportion of entries in the A* to B grades. But the very highest A* grade has risen from 7.6% to 8.2%. For school leavers planning to go to university, this could be an unusually good year to apply, with a "buyer's market" in which universities are competing to attract students. A student contacting the BBC had achieved two C grades and a D, but had still gained a university place for which the original offer had been three grade Bs. It could also mean students who have achieved higher grades than expected ‘trading up’. Umar Burhanudin, a student at City and Islington College, achieved two grades As and an A* and says he is going to shop around for a ‘higher-ranking university’. There are an extra 30,000 university places available and it is expected that for the first time over 500,000 places will be allocated for courses this autumn. Universities continue to have flexibility over recruiting students who achieve AAB grades or better, reports UNB.