Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

A-level data shows record grades and biggest gender gap in a decade

A-level data shows record grades and biggest gender gap in a decade

Number of students reaching A or A* doubles in 12 subjects since 2019 and girls beat boys in top maths grades

This year is a year unlike any other and the same rings true when it comes to English A-levels.

The results, which were exam-based until 2019, relied on an algorithm last year only for that to be replaced again by teacher-grading in 2021.

Here are the top five data takeaways from this year’s unprecedented result outcomes among students in England.

1 The class of 2021 achieved record-breaking grades


The proportion of top grades achieved by students this year was at its highest ever as teacher assessments replaced usual exam-based grading and the 2020 algorithmic means of assessment was scrapped.

The 2021 results tables show that 44.3% of A-level entries in England were awarded one of the top grades, A* or A.

This marks a 6.2 percentage point rise on last year’s results. However, it is a 19.1 percentage point increase compared with the pre-pandemic exam outcomes of 2019.


2 There has been a doubling of A grades in 12 subjects since 2019


The number of students achieving an A or A* rate has more than doubled in 12 subjects (as well as the “all other subjects” category) since 2019, with the highest increases in physical education, music and drama.

The rate of top grades in physical education went from 14.7% in 2019 to 42.3% in 2021, an 188% increase in two years. For music, the increase was 183%, drama 168% and media, film and TV 165%.

Conversely the smallest increase in top grades since 2019 was in maths (34.4%). This rise took the subject’s A or A* rate to 54.4%.


3 Girls beat boys in top maths grades, contrary to the previous trend


Boys in England typically outperform girls in A* maths grades. But the switch to teacher assessment has boosted female students’ performance.

The highest-ever proportion of female students – 56.8% – achieved an A grade or above in England this year, a reversal of the pre-2020 results where males usually did better at this grade level.

This year was also the first in which more female students got A* grades in maths than their male counterparts, albeit marginally at 28.4% and 28.3% respectively. The change from algorithm to teacher assessment also had an impact on the 2020 results, which have been revised retrospectively.


4 The gender gap is at its highest level in a decade


This year’s course-based grades reflect existing research which suggests that final exams favour male students.

The gender gap reached its highest level in 10 years, with the rate of A* and As standing at 46.4% for girls versus 41.7% for boys – a further reversal of the trend seen in 2017 and 2018 when boys last outperformed girls.

In fact, girls attained higher A*/A grades in every subject bar German, Spanish and performing arts this year. In the lower grade category (C grade and above) female students outperformed males in every subject.


5 Independent schools had the highest rate of top grades


The rate of A and A* grades at independent schools – at 70.1% – was far higher than that recorded at secondary comprehensives, whose A and A* rate rose to 39.3%, and for academies, whose rate rose to 41.9%.

At first glance, the 9.1 percentage point rise in top grades at independent schools suggests the gap between them and others schools has grown.

However, it is the relative change in grades that is important here (as independent schools generally record higher grades). By that measure these schools experienced an increase of 15.3% on last year, in keeping with the increase seen in other types of schools.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×