A-level results day 2025: pupils await grades across UK — follow live
The government's plans for turning around the attainment gap between white working-class children and their peers will be set out in the autumn.
Pupils who are receiving their A-level and level 3 vocational and technical qualification results were in Year 8 when schools closed because of the pandemic. This cohort of school and college leavers received their GCSE results in 2023, the first year that grading was returned to pre-pandemic levels in England. In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators returned to pre-pandemic grading in 2024, a year later than in England.
By 7am on A-level results day, available clearing places at Russell Group universities had already fallen by five per cent, with 184 offers made overnight. Just 3,379 vacancies remain — a slight decrease from the 3,494 spots available at the same point last year.
Institutions such as Manchester and Leeds universities have reported particularly sharp reductions in available places, while Queen Mary, Glasgow, and Southampton have relatively high numbers remaining — although these may disappear quickly as results continue to be released.
Writing in The Times Student Guide, Dr Jo Saxton, the chief executive of UCAS, said that while more than three-quarters of applicants were accepted to their first-choice universities each year, interest in clearing was growing, adding 'from those whose Plan A hasn't worked out, those who would like to revisit their choices, as well as those who have just decided to apply for the first time'.
For those supporting applicants, UCAS offers practical advice and resources to help navigate the process.
• Read in full: Our guide to Ucas clearing
Speaking on Thursday morning, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said: 'Every young person should have the opportunity to achieve and thrive. Those from white working-class backgrounds have long been overlooked. We're already taking decisive action and making encouraging progress.
'Today is a time for celebration as young people up and down the country collect their exam results.'
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are waking up to their A-level results.
More than a quarter are expected to receive the top grades of A* or A, which were awarded to 27.8 per cent of A-level entries last year.
School and college leavers will find out whether they have met the A-level, BTEC or T-level grades for their chosen career, apprenticeship or university.
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