����Vlog

A-level results for summer 2026 have been released, showing a small increase in top grades in England and a continued widening of the regional divide between London and other parts of the country.

The gap in top grades achieved between independent and state schools remained similar to last year, and boys got a slightly bigger share of top grades than girls for the second year in a row.

You can read a breakdown of today’s A-level results by subject here,��but here are a few key trends beyond the headlines.

1. Maths remains most popular A level by far

According to the data released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) this morning, 107,262 students in England sat A-level maths in 2026, out of the 835,606 total entries across all A-level subjects in England. This maths figure is up from 103,478 in 2025.

Within the 2026 entries, 67,770 boys sat A-level maths, compared with 39,492 girls.

After maths, 76,073 students sat A-level psychology, slightly up from 72,927 in 2025. Biology came in third, with 67,991 sittings in England, up from 65,331 in 2025.

2. Boys on top for A and A* grades, driven by maths and science

For the second year in a row, boys received slightly more top grades than girls in England. This seems to have been partly driven by results in maths, where 19.2 per cent of boys were awarded an A*, compared with 14.8 per cent of girls. Additionally, 43.5 per cent of boys were awarded an A or A* in maths, compared with 39.8 per cent of girls.

As mentioned above, maths remains the most popular A level by far and so it has a larger impact on overall proportions of top grades.

• A-level results 2026: the regional divide grows again
• Which subjects got the best grades in this year’s A levels?

Boys also outperformed girls in physics and chemistry, with 32.8 per cent receiving A or A* in the former compared with 30.5 per cent of girls. In chemistry, 34.7 per cent of boys got the top grades compared with 29.5 per cent of girls.

Boys also took the lead for A/A* grades in biology and English literature this year.

However, this trend is not seen across all subjects - for example, in geography results data from JCQ shows that 31 per cent of girls received the top grades, compared with 19 per cent of boys.

3. Grammar schools chasing independent schools for top grades

Independent schools continued to get the highest proportion of top grades and grades A* to C this year, Ofqual figures show, but grammar schools were close behind, with 43.4 per cent of entrants achieving an A* or A (compared with 48.6 per cent from independent schools).

Some 27 per cent of entrants from free schools were awarded the top grades, followed by sixth-form colleges (25.6 per cent), academies (23.5 per cent) and then maintained schools (23 per cent).

More than three-quarters of results from free schools and maintained schools were graded A* to C (76.3 per cent), with academies only just behind at 75.8 per cent. In grammar schools, 88.4 per cent of entries received a C or above.

4. T-level Technical Qualification results up

Overall T-level outcomes are published by the Department for Education, but Ofqual publishes data on results day on outcomes in the Technical Qualification (TQ), which is part of the T-level programme.

This year 18.3 per cent of students received a distinction in their occupational specialism, and 53.5 per cent received a merit. This compares with 17.9 per cent and 53.4 per cent respectively in 2025.

For their core grade, 7.1 per cent of students received an A or above, and 55.2 per cent of students received a C or above, compared with 3.9 per cent and 51.1 per cent respectively last year.

While there has been growth in T levels, in total 19,860 students received TQ results, which means there were roughly 16 A-level students for every T-level student, according to the Social Market Foundation.

Dani Payne, head of education and social mobility at the Social Market Foundation, said: “T-level growth offers real encouragement for Andy Burnham’s push to put technical education on a more equal footing with academic routes.

“The number of students receiving a T-level Technical Qualification result has risen by around two-thirds in just one year, while outcomes remain strong, suggesting that expanding these qualifications does not have to come at the expense of standards.”

5. Fewer entries for AS levels

While AS levels are far less popular than they used to be, they are still being taken by some. The number of AS levels sat across all subjects in England fell from 50,466 in 2025 to 48,824 in 2026.

Across all subjects, 23.9 per cent of all AS entries achieved an A - the highest grade at AS - representing a small fall from 24.8 per cent in 2025.

Maths is the most popular subject at AS, and was sat by 6,853 students this year, down from 6,929 in 2025. More than one in four of these students (26.7 per cent) achieved an A this year, slightly down from 28.4 per cent in 2025.

��