Record high for A-level grades as Harrogate district students pick up results
It's after exams were cancelled for the second year
Last updated 10th Aug 2021
Students across Harrogate district collected their A Level exam results this morning (10 August), with the number graded A or higher has risen to an all-time high.
Exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to coronavirus and were instead given grades determined by teachers, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Harvey Evans is a student at Boroughbridge High School. He secured A*AA and is going to Manchester to study medicine.
He said: "I'm over the moon. It's been a massive relief because this year has been really tough so this feel like a good reward.
"I didn't sleep last night at all. I was awake from about five this morning just because of the stress levels.
"I'm just so excited to get to Manchester."
In total, more than two in five (44.8%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, up by 6.3 percentage points on last year when 38.5% achieved the top grades.
In 2019, when exams were last run before the pandemic, just 25.5% of entries achieved an A or above.
Allison Hennessey is a student at Harrogate Ladies' College and was awarded AAA. She's heading off to Edinburgh to study astrophysics.
She said: "I opened them on my own and then forgot that I then needed to go and tell people.
"I ran downstairs and told my family that I got the results I needed and they said 'Oh what did you get?!' They seemed more excited than I was.
"I couldn't have done it with all the extra support from teachers. They really have gone the extra mile."
Overall, the proportion of entries awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 19.1%, compared with 14.3% in 2020 and 7.8% in 2019.
Girls performed better than boys at the top grades, and female maths students overtook boys for the first time in the number of A* grades achieved, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show.
On Tuesday, Ucas said a record number of students have secured a place on their first-choice university course following the bumper year for results.
But youngsters who missed out on the grades required to meet their offers are likely to face greater competition for a place at top institutions as there could be fewer courses on offer in clearing.