The proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades has risen for the third year in a row.

Teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their results on Thursday to learn if they had secured places at university, in apprenticeships or within the workforce.

The total number of A-level entries exceeded 900,000 for the first time, with the population of 18-year-olds increasing this year.

More than a quarter (28.5 per cent) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, marking a 0.2 percentage point increase from 28.3 per cent last year.

The proportion of UK entries awarded the top A* grade this year also rose by 0.2 percentage points to 9.6 per cent, up from 9.4 per cent in 2025 and above the 7.7 per cent recorded in 2019.

Maths remained the most popular subject at A-level this year – the 13th year in a row it has topped the table.

Mathematics remained the most popular A-level subject for the 13th consecutive year. Latest figures show the subject accounted for 12.7 per cent of all UK entries, representing more than one in eight submissions.

Speaking about England only, the head of exams regulator Ofqual said the “sheer size” of maths impacts the overall data.

On top of grades rising, Sir Ian Bauckham said: “It’s largely driven by those changes in maths, growing popularity of maths and the high achievements that we’re seeing in maths.

“It’s a successful subject; A-level maths is a significant driver of economic growth, and we know that it correlates to higher earning potential for those people who hold A-level maths in their future lives.

“It does, because of its sheer size, have that impact on the overall cohort figures.”

There is a clear gender divide, with more boys choosing the subject than girls.

There were 72,619 boys’ entries for A-level maths this year, making up 63 per cent of entries, compared to 42,761 for girls (37 per cent).

Boys have outperformed girls in terms of top grades again, after doing so for the first time in seven years last year.

Overall, 28.9 per cent of boys’ A-level entries scored an A* or A this summer, compared to 28.0 per cent of their female classmates’ entries – a gap of 0.9 percentage points.

Economics has seen a leap in popularity this year.

It is now the fifth most popular subject for students, climbing up from 10th in 2025. In total, there were more than 47,000 UK entries for economics.

Sir Ian said it was “plausible to suggest” that job prospects are influencing the choices students make in terms of what they study.

“Maths is the obvious one that we’ve talked about already, further maths is another one, economics, law,” Sir Ian said of the England data.

“These are all subjects that have a very strong either vocational flavour or are proven to be linked to higher earning potential, and in students’ minds will be associated with the trends that we’re seeing in the economy.

“So, I do think it’s plausible to suggest that those considerations are, for most, in students’ minds.”

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: “More than ever, young people are asking a simple question: where will the opportunities be? In a world of rising living costs, student debt and AI, they want confidence that their investment of time and money will lead to a fulfilling and secure career.

“Students are increasingly choosing subjects with one eye on the labour market. That’s entirely understandable.”

The proportion of entries achieving either A or A was higher than in 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic, when 25.4 per cent of entries were awarded A or A grades.

It is the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, according to the figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The overall pass rate – the proportion of entries graded A* to E – has remained at 97.5 per cent, which is lower and the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (97.6 per cent).

Students who are receiving their A-level, T-level and Level 3 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results were in Year 7 when schools closed because of the pandemic.

Scotland has a different qualification system and students received their results on Tuesday last week.

Figures showed the number of passes at National 5 reached record levels.

Pass rates for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher increased across the board, to 79.2 per cent, 76.7 per cent and 77.6 per cent respectively.

The proportion of pupils who achieved an A also rose for National 5 and Higher to 40.3 per cent and 20.9 per cent, while the rate for Advanced Higher fell to 30.9 per cent.

A-level results: Key numbers and trends

• The proportion of candidates receiving top grades has risen for the third year in a row and remains higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Some 9.6 per cent of UK entries received an A*.
• A total of 78.4 per cent of entries received a C or above, up from 77.9 per cent in 2025.
• The overall pass rate (grades A* to E) was 97.5 per cent. This is unchanged from 97.5 per cent in 2025 and is slightly below 2019, which was 97.6 per cent.
• Among the regions of England, London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded grades of A or A* (32.7 per cent, up from 32.1 per cent in 2025) while north-east England and the East Midlands had the joint lowest (23.1 per cent). The East Midlands saw the largest year-on-year fall, down 0.7 points from 23.8 per cent, while north-east England rose slightly by 0.2 points, up from 22.9 per cent.
• Some 30.7 per cent of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, up year-on-year from 30.3 per cent; this was higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.6 per cent, up from 29.5 per cent) and England (28.3 per cent, up from 28.2 per cent).
• Boys have extended their lead over girls in the top grades.
• Boys have also extended their lead over girls in the highest grade, A*.
• The most popular subject this year was maths, for the 13th year in a row. It had 115,380 entries, up 3.9 per cent from 111,033 in 2025. Psychology is once again the second most popular subject, with biology remaining in third place and chemistry in fourth. Economics has entered the top five most popular subjects for the first time, ranking in fifth place and up from 10th last year.
• A total of 906,425 A-levels were awarded this year, up 2.7 per cent on last year’s 882,653.