A-level results day: Top grades drop to lowest proportion in more than decade as numbers going to university fall

Tens of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will open their A-level exam results tomorrow. But schools across the country received all the exam results today in preparation.

Students across the UK are expected to use clearing tomorrow to choose an alternative university course.

Here is our handy guide:

Leaked documents have revealed that A level maths candidates had to get just over half of answers correct to score an A grade this year.

Grade boundaries for Edexcel's maths A-level show students who gained 165 out of 300 marks (55 per cent) will be awarded an A.

Last year, 184 marks (61 per cent) were required for the same result.

The documents also show that only 43 marks (14.3 per cent) would result in an E grade - which is considered a pass.

The exam boards no longer publish grade boundaries on the eve of A-level results day as they want to alleviate anxiety among students. 

But it hasn't stopped the grade boundaries (which are sent to schools) being leaked online this year. 

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, is "extremely disappointed" by the leak.

He said: "The problem is that anxious students will pore over this information trying to work out what this means for their results.

"This is a pointless exercise because grade boundaries are set to allow for differences in the difficulty of papers so that students are not disadvantaged from one year to the next.

"We would urge students against losing sleep over grade boundaries and to wait for their results tomorrow."

Tomorrow is all about A-level results but alternative vocational qualifications - such as BTECs - remain popular with teenagers. 

In total, 246,900 people across the UK have completed a Level 3 BTEC so far this year, in subjects such as business, sport, health and social care and engineering and construction.

The qualifications are in the process of being reformed, with the overhauled courses including external assessment.

The latest figures show that 78,000 students have completed a reformed BTEC, up from 44,000 last year.

It is the second year that results for reformed BTEC Nationals have been awarded.

Ahead of A-level results day, Labour has said it would scrap university offers based on predicted A-level grades. 

The party wants sixth-formers to apply for a degree course only after receiving their A-level results or other qualifications.

You can read more about the proposals here: 

On the eve of A-level results day, the National Education Union has polled teachers and found that the majority believe exam reforms have led to worse mental health among students.

The poll, of 300 teachers, shows 55 per cent believe the reformed A-levels -  which have less coursework and a greater focus on exams after two years - have had a damaging impact on student wellbeing. 

Only 7 per cent of teachers believe mental health among teenagers has improved under the reforms. 

It is expected that the A-level results will confirm provisional data from the exams watchdog Ofqual which revealed a 13 per cent fall in the number of students taking English at A-level.

The cohort sitting their A-levels now was the first to sit the new tougher GCSEs in English, which require students to memorise a large amount of information, in 2017.

And over two years, entries for A-level English have dropped by more than one-fifth – from 74,350 in 2017 to 58,870 this year, the figures showed.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has called for urgent action to be taken to address the drop in the take-up of A-level English. 

He warned: "It is right that we should have the highest aspirations for all our students, but this should not equate to turning exams into a joyless slog.

"We are concerned that the current GCSE specifications are failing to encourage a love of English in young people and this year's entries at A-level appear to confirm our fears.”

Here is the provisional data on entries released in May:

Don’t forget to check out freebies being offered to A-level students on results day tomorrow. 

Regardless of the exam results in the brown envelopes, it will be good news for chicken lovers who will be able to get a free ¼ Chicken or Fire-Starter from Nando’s on Thursday.