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The number of top A-level grades fell sharply this year as exam boards moved to reverse two years of grade inflation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The proportion of A and A* grades in the UK fell by more than 9 percentage points, equating to 73,000 fewer top marks in 2023, according to data released on Thursday by the Joint Council for Qualifications.
The reduction in the number of top grades followed a decision by the regulator Ofqual to return largely to pre-pandemic grading levels in 2023 after two years in which students were awarded their marks based on teacher assessment.
Results were still marginally higher than before the pandemic, with 27.2 per cent of papers awarded A and A* in 2023 in the UK, compared with 25.4 per cent in 2019, but 20 percentage points lower than at the peak of the pandemic in 2021 when 45 per cent of students were awarded the highest grades.
