The number of top grades awarded to A level students has risen again this year, remaining above pre-pandemic highs, according to figures.

Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their exam results on Thursday, with many finding out if they would progress to university, an apprenticeship or work.

More than a quarter (28.3%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.5 percentage points on last year, when 27.8% achieved the top grades.

This was higher than in 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic, when 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades.

Follow our live updates throughout the day here

It is the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, according to the figures from

See Full Page