A-level results up
Top grades have been awarded in nearly a third of all A-levels in the North, where students again outperformed the rest of the UK, according to today’s results.
Although the overall pass rate rose by just 0.2% to 97.7%, there was a bigger increase at the top end of the scale.
A grades were given to 32.4% of entries, up 1.2% on last year.
In England and Wales the equivalent figures were 96.6% and 24.1%.
With the North’s boys closing the performance gap on girls, exams body the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) put the improved top-grade showing down to particular excellence in key subject areas.
Director of operations Neil Anderson said: “We’ve taken a close look at what has been driving the rise in A grades this year.
“What we have found is very strong performances in the areas of mathematics, languages and sciences. These areas make up nine of the top 10 performing subjects at the A grade.
“Strong showings in subjects such as mathematics, biology and physics have contributed greatly to the top-line figures we are seeing today.”
Despite the seemingly relentless rise in overall pass rates, Mr Anderson insisted that a plateau was coming.
“We do believe we are arriving at the point where we will see performance across the board at A-level very up or down.”
Entries this year dipped slightly by 0.1% to 31,237, with falling pupil numbers and the increasing range of qualification options pinpointed as major reasons.
But Mr Anderson insisted that A-levels were holding firm as top-class qualifications highly regarded by students, teachers, universities and employers.
Although girls continued to win the battle of the sexes, this year’s results show that boys are catching up and outperforming them at A grade in biology, economics, English, Irish, further maths and technology.
Overall, the pass-rate gender difference closed to just 0.4%.
But girls did stretch their lead at the top A grade to 3.9%.
Performance at AS-level, where results were also released today, followed a similar pattern, with 32.6% of entries achieving the top grade, up 1.2% from 2005.
Overall 94.7% achieved A to E grades, up 0.1% on last year.
