Devastated Brit pupils 'completely screwed over' as they open A-level results

17 August 2023 , 19:32

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Mixed emotions were seen today as pupils received their A-level results amid a drop in top grades (Image: SWNS)

Devastated teenagers from the "Covid generation" have described feeling 'completely screwed over' as they opened their A-levels results today.

Figures show the proportion of top A-level grades are down on last year nationally - but still remain above pre-pandemic levels.

More than a quarter (27.2 per cent) of UK entries were awarded the top A or A* grades, down by 9.2 percentage points on last year when 36.4 per cent achieved the top grades. Figures were lowest in England, where 26.5% of all A-Level exams were given the top grade.

The overall pass rate - the proportion of entries graded A* to E - has also dropped to 97.3 per cent this year, lower than the 98.4 per cent recorded in 2022 and the last pre-pandemic year of 2019 (97.6 per cent). It means it is now at its lowest level since 2008, when it stood at 97.2 per cent.

The current group of pupils receiving their A-level results did not sit GCSE exams because of the pandemic (PA)

The current group of pupils receiving their final results on Thursday did not sit GCSE exams, having been awarded teacher-assessed grades during the pandemic.

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Disappointed faces were seen mixed among jubilant scenes at exam halls today, with the grades for many deciding whether they get to go to their university of choice. Some blamed worse-than-hoped-for results on the fact they had never sat any major exams, as they did not have the preparation that comes from GCSEs.

One pupil who had not got his first choice university told the Daily Telegraph: "I didn't really realise how much my education had been affected by Covid until I reached exam season. I hadn't actually done any real exams until my A-levels. It is a worry that the grade boundaries are going to be lower this year. I think we've been completely screwed over."

Some pupils said they had never sat any major exams before because of disruption from the pandemic (Getty Images)

Alisha Mahmud, from Ilford, London, achieved three A*s in her A-levels this morning - making her very first in her family to head to university this September, when she goes to Imperial College London. She told the Mirror: "It's an absolute dream come true, all my hard work paid off... I'm really looking forward to what the future holds and being the first means I can support and hopefully inspire my siblings to fulfil their aspirations too,"

It comes as Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was criticised for her "rude and dismissive" comments today when she claimed employers "won't ask you anything about your A-level grades in 10 years' time" amid the drop in top grades. Ms Keegan later doubled down on the remarks made during a Sky News interview, saying: "It is true, it is just real. It's an important step to get to your next destination, but when you're a couple of destinations further on there'll be other things that they look at."

The Education Secretary was criticised today for suggesting employers 'won't ask you anything about your A-level grades in 10 years' time' (PA)

Labour Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson suggested the comments were inappropriate on results day, and said: "I think the comments from the Secretary of State are incredibly rude and dismissive. This is a nerve-racking day for young people who've worked incredibly hard.

"The last thing that they need is the Secretary of State offering comments like that, and it really does add insult to injury coming from a Government that completely failed to put in place the kind of support that our young people needed coming out of the pandemic, after all of the disruption they'd experienced."

Students in England also received their T-level results today, marking the second year that the qualification has been awarded. Question marks still remain over the success of the scheme, after figures suggested around a third of T-level students quit their course during their studies.

Overall, 3,448 students were awarded results on Thursday for the Government's flagship technical qualification, which was introduced to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels. Among the second cohort of T-level students, 90.5% achieved at least a pass.
The figures show that 69.2% achieved a merit or above, 22.1% achieved a distinction or above, and 0.3% were awarded the top grade of a distinction.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas