Highest grade A-level passes do a U-turn

Published on 17/08/2012 00:00

THE number of English school pupils getting top grades in their A-levels has fallen for the first time in two decades, less than a week after Scottish students scored record pass rates in their Highers.

Yesterday’s A-level results showed that 26.6 per cent of exams were awarded an A or A*, down from 27 per cent in 2011 – a record drop of 0.4 per cent.

The A-level results were released amid further criticism of the Scottish Government’s higher education funding arrangements, which have led to universities in Scotland opening up last-minute places to those from elsewhere in the UK, but not Scots.

Following the publication of the results yesterday, universities including Aberdeen and Stirling posted details of dozens of courses with empty places, but only for fee-paying students from the rest of the UK or overseas. There is no limit on the number of students universities can accept from elsewhere in the UK.