The total number of students accepted on to Britain’s degree courses has fallen with 408,960 taking up places so far, down 1 per cent on the same point last year.
Ucas figures revealed the fall as 300,000 sixth-formers opened their long-awaited A-level results, with more than a quarter of entries expected to score a top grade.
Some students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland found out their results as early as 6am as they decide on their next steps, be it university, work, or training.
Last year, 26.4 per cent of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, the highest proportion for six years. Meanwhile, one in 12 (8.0 per cent) entries scored an A*.
Students celebrate their results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham today
(From left) Krishika Balakrishnan (2 A*s, 2 As), Ayeesha Sohail (3 A*s, 1 B) and Daveena Malhi celebrate their A-level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham today
This is down 0.3 percentage points on last year, according to statistics published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
Boys are expected to continue to outperform girls at the highest grades again this year, last summer 26.6 per cent of boys’ entries awarded at least an A grade, compared to 26.2 per cent for entries from their female classmates.
Ahead of A-level results day, grade boundaries for two of England’s biggest exam boards, Edexcel and OCR, were leaked.
The documents showed that students needed to score just over half marks in A-level maths to be rewarded with an A grade this summer.
Students (from left) Olivia Kolasinski, Joey Guan and Sinali Gunarathne, celebrate their A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham this morning
Students celebrate their results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham today
Grade boundaries for Edexcel’s maths A-level show students who gained 165 out of a possible maximum of 300 marks (55 per cent) will be awarded an A.
Speaking about the maths A boundary, Schools Minister Nick Gibb told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘These grade boundaries do vary from paper to paper
‘They are designed to ensure that there’s fairness between students between years so that an A in one year is same standard as an A in previous years.’
Separate documents show that those who took the OCR exam board’s A-level maths qualification will walk away with an A if they achieved 54 per cent across all papers – a total of 161 out of 300.
Last year, 184 marks (61 per cent) were needed for an A grade in Edexcel’s maths A-level, while for OCR’s qualification in the subject, the required mark was 197 (66 per cent).
The leaked documents also give grade boundaries for other A-level qualifications offered by Edexcel and OCR – two of the biggest exam boards in England, and there are some differences between the two.
For example, 69 per cent (208 out of 300) in an Edexcel English Literature A-level achieves an A grade, while students taking the subject with OCR require 177 marks out of 200 (89 per cent).
A-level students in Hull, East Yorkshire, open their results on Sky News this morning
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said yesterday: ‘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.’
The figures relate to overall grade boundaries for new specification maths A-levels.
Practically all A-level courses have now been reformed, with maths one of the last to be overhauled as part of a major revamp of exams in England.
This summer is the first time that grades for new specification A-level maths are being awarded to the vast majority of students.
For many students, receiving their A-level results will also bring confirmation of university places.
Latest UCAS figures show that as of the end of June, 638,030 people had applied to start degree courses this autumn, up 0.2 per cent on the same point in 2018.
Among UK 18-year-olds applications are up one percent, the statistics show, with 275,520 applying by the June deadline.
Those without degree places, who want to go to university will be searching through Clearing, the annual process that matches students with courses that have availability.
Jessica Tedd, who was awarded 4 A* grades and is going to study Physics at Oxford University, celebrates her A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham today
Clearing is increasingly becoming a popular route for students to find a degree course, with leading universities among those to offer last-minute places through the system.
A Press Association survey shows that as of yesterday afternoon, 103 universities in England alone had availability showing for at least 50 per cent of their courses for potential students living in England.
The survey also shows that in total, across all English universities, there were around 21,660 courses with places available.
Other students may be eschewing university for a different route into the workplace.
Kirstie Donnelly managing director at City & Guilds Group said: ‘For too long now, technical and vocational education routes have been cast into the shadows, with young people across the UK shepherded down the traditional pathway through GCSEs, A-levels and on to university.
‘While these qualifications may be the right path for many, they should not be seen as the only option to gain a successful career.
‘At a time when the UK is plagued with growing skills gaps, it’s never been more important for our young people to harness the full range of different routes into employment available to them.’
| Biology | Chemistry | English | Maths | Physics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 56% | 67% | 69% | 55% | 59% |
| 2018 | 57% | 71% | 69% | 61% | 58% |