Hundreds of thousands of young people across England are celebrating receiving their A-level, T Level, and Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQ) results on Thursday (14 August).
The data shows that university continues to be a popular choice for young people with record numbers (193,510, up from 184,400 in 2024) of English 18-year-olds receiving their first choice of university. 20.4% of disadvantaged 18-year-olds being accepted to higher education, up from 19.8% in 2024 and 17.4% in 2019.
But like in previous years, results today have exposed inequalities which continue to exist in the education system, with big gaps between regions and with poor outcomes year on year for pupils from white working-class backgrounds, the Department for Education said.
This follows the government setting out a clear focus on tackling these issues head-on and ensuring white working-class pupils – especially boys – are supported to thrive in school and go on to get well-paid jobs.
“Students should be incredibly proud of their hard work and their achievements today, and I am immensely grateful to teachers and school staff for everything they have done to support students up to this point,” said Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
“Every single young person collecting their results today should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams – whether that starts with further study, university, an apprenticeship or the world of work – but too often, opportunities depend on background rather than talent. The entrenched divide in outcomes seen over the last few years and the lack of progress for children from white working-class backgrounds is particularly concerning.”
What the results show
The results show that:
- At grade C and above at A level, the North East is now the only region where attainment remains below pre-pandemic levels.
- More pupils are taking maths, physics and chemistry A levels than at any other time since modern records began – and more of these pupils taking these subjects are achieving a grade C – preparing them to work in the STEM sectors in the future.
- Almost 12,000 students received T Level results this year, up from just over 7,000 last year and around 3,500 in 2023.
- Almost 240,000 certificates were awarded for those completing their Level 3 vocational and technical qualifications.
24.9% of 18-year-olds from the North East have secured a university place on results day compared to 43.4% of 18-year-olds from London. This gap is now 18.5 percentage points, which is the highest on record, up from 17.3 percentage points in 2024 and 11.9 in 2019.
For A-level results, the gap between this year’s lowest performing region (East Midlands) and highest performing (London) is 6.0 percentage points at C and above.
While the gap has decreased from 6.3 percentage points in 2024, it is still greater than in 2019 (when the equivalent gap was 5.2 percentage points).
Later this year government will publish Schools and Post-16 Skills white papers, setting out further reforms to build an education system where every child and young person can achieve and thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances.
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