Record gap in A-level top grades between London and north-east England
Some 32.1% of entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, the highest for any region in England and up from 31.3% in 2024.
By contrast, north-east England had the lowest regional percentage this year at 22.9%, down from 23.9% in 2024.
The gap between these two regions now stands at 9.2 percentage points, up from 7.4 points last year and the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
North-east England is one of just two regions to see a year-on-year drop in entries receiving top grades, the other being West Midlands (down from 24.8% to 24.2%).
It is also the only region where the proportion of entries awarded A or A* this year, 22.9%, is lower than the equivalent figure in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (23.0%).
For entries receiving the top grade of A*, London again had the highest proportion (11.6%, up from 11.3%) and north-east England the lowest (6.8%, down from 7.8%).
The gap here of 4.8 percentage points is wider than in 2024 (3.5 points) but not as large as during the pandemic, when it reached 6.8 points in 2021.
North-east England and the West Midlands are the only regions to see a year-on-year fall in entries receiving A*.
By contrast, all regions reported a year-on-year increase in the proportion of entries awarded a grade C or higher, with London and south-east England almost tied on the highest percentage (79.54% and 79.45% respectively) and the East Midlands having the lowest (73.6%).
At a national level, 30.4% of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.5%) and England (28.2%).
For entries awarded C or above, Northern Ireland was ahead at 85.8%, above England (77.7%) and Wales (77.2%).
Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded the top grade of A* by nation and region in 2025, with the equivalent figures for both 2024 and the pre-pandemic year of 2019:
– North-east England 6.8% (2024: 7.8%; 2019: 6.7%)– North-west England 8.3% (2024: 8.0%; 2019: 6.9%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 7.7% (2024: 7.4%; 2019: 6.5%)– West Midlands 7.4% (2024: 7.9%; 2019: 6.3%)– East Midlands 7.4% (2024: 6.8%; 2019: 5.8%)– Eastern England 9.3% (2024: 9.1%; 2019: 7.9%)– South-west England 8.9% (2024: 8.8; 2019: 8.0%)– South-east England 11.0% (2024: 10.9%; 2019: 9.0%)– London 11.6% (2024: 11.3%; 2019: 8.7%)– England 9.4% (2024: 9.3%; 2019: 7.7%)– Wales 10.5% (2024: 10.1%; 2019: 8.9%)– Northern Ireland 8.7% (2024: 8.2%; 2019: 8.0%)– All 9.4% (2024: 9.3%; 2019: 7.7%)
Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded A or A*, by nation and region:
– North-east England 22.9% (2024: 23.9%; 2019: 23.0%)– North-west England 26.6% (2024: 25.5%; 2019: 23.5%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 25.3% (2024: 24.6%; 2019: 23.2%)– West Midlands 24.2% (2024: 24.8%; 2019: 22.0%)– East Midlands 23.8% (2024: 22.5%; 2019: 21.0%)– Eastern England 28.0% (2024: 27.5%; 2019: 25.6%)– South-west England 27.0% (2024: 26.9%; 2019: 25.8%)– South-east England 31.2% (2024: 30.8%; 2019: 28.3%)– London 32.1% (2024: 31.3%; 2019: 26.9%)– England 28.2% (2024: 27.6%; 2019: 25.2%)– Wales 29.5% (2024: 29.9%; 2019: 26.5%)– Northern Ireland 30.4% (2024: 30.3%; 2019: 29.4%)– All 28.3% (2024: 27.8%; 2019: 25.4%)
Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded C or above, by nation and region:
– North-east England 74.9% (2024: 74.4%; 2019: 76.3%)– North-west England 78.2% (2024: 75.9%; 2019: 75.6%)– Yorkshire & the Humber 76.8% (2024: 74.4%; 2019: 74.7%)– West Midlands 74.2% (2024: 73.4%; 2019: 72.8%)– East Midlands 73.6% (2024: 71.8%; 2019: 73.0%)– Eastern England 77.8% (2024: 76.1%; 2019: 75.7%)– South-west England 77.3% (2024: 76.3%; 2019: 76.0%)– South-east England 79.45% (2024: 78.1%; 2019: 78.0%)– London 79.54% (2024: 77.5%; 2019: 74.8%)– England 77.7% (2024: 76.0%; 2019: 75.5%)– Wales 77.2% (2024: 76.5%; 2019: 76.3%)– Northern Ireland 85.8% (2024: 85.1%; 2019: 85.0%)– All 77.9% (2024: 76.4%; 2019: 75.9%)
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