GCE A-level

(asked on 19th July 2023) - View Source
Questioner
Stephen Morgan Portrait
Stephen Morgan
(Labour - Portsmouth South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils taking A-Levels received each grade in each academic year since 2019.

Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 8th September 2023

The number of A levels entered by students aged 16-18 in England, and the grades awarded since the 2018/19 academic year are set out in the following table:

Grade

Number

Proportion

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

A*

57,733

102,624

141,457

114,351

7.9%

14.4%

19.1%

14.8%

A

129,611

171,431

187,520

166,876

17.8%

24.1%

25.3%

21.6%

B

188,454

194,135

188,995

201,556

25.9%

27.3%

25.5%

26.1%

C

175,557

155,674

136,531

152,203

24.1%

21.9%

18.4%

19.7%

D

109,776

65,340

59,089

85,525

15.1%

9.2%

8.0%

11.1%

E

48,104

20,015

23,629

37,771

6.6%

2.8%

3.2%

4.9%

U

16,577

1,737

3,548

11,197

2.3%

0.2%

0.5%

1.4%

Total entries1

727,415

712,171

741,826

772,541

  1. Examination entries are for the academic year stated, after discounting. Total entries includes pending awards

The number of A level awards and grades is published in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical release. The proportions are calculated as those numbers divided by total A level entries.

Due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer examination series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021. Alternative processes were set up to award grades (Centre Assessment Grades in 2020, Teacher Assessed Grades in 2021). A level examinations returned in 2022 and adaptations were made, such as providing advance information. The approach to grading for 2022 examinations broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

Examinations and assessments for AS level, A level and vocational and technical qualifications returned to pre-pandemic arrangements in 2023. Ofqual set out that grading will include an allowance for disruption so that overall results will be similar to those of 2019. So where national performance is found to be lower than it was prior to the pandemic, senior examiners will make allowances when setting grade boundaries.

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