Today’s top scores represent the largest drop ever recorded in the 70-year history of the qualification, leaving A-level students in ruins.
After authorities reined in grade inflation by instituting stricter marking, a record 80,000 fewer submissions will be granted an A or A* compared to previous year.
The nation’s sixth-graders, the first year group to take examinations since the epidemic, will now get their results.
According to dataHE experts, the number of students awaiting news of their university acceptance has increased by 40% since 2019.
A record high of over 300,000 students are still unsure of whether they will get the course of their choice. During the same time period, the number of students who have received no placement offers at all has climbed by 74%, reaching slightly under 28,000 students.
The surge has been fueled by an increase in population and a decline of unconditional offers, making the competition for spots the fiercest it has ever been.
Chris Hale, interim chief executive of Universities UK, also cautioned applicants who were considering postponing their admission that the competition will “continue to be as fierce” in 2023.
Students expressed their worry about picking up their results last night. “The fear I’m experiencing about having to open up the envelope with my results in tomorrow is dreadful,” said Amy Bostock, 18. It is anticipated that this year, the percentage of A and A* grades given would decrease from 44.8% to 35%, or over 10 percentage points.
It follows grade inflation during the epidemic, when tests were postponed and grades were assigned by instructors. Officials now want to return grades to 2019, when barely a fifth received an A or an A*.
Today, it is anticipated that 40,000–60,000 students won’t get the grades required for their chosen course.
Those who don’t get a spot will have to utilise the Clearing procedure, which links unplaced students with open spots in courses.
According to statistics published yesterday, the number of Clearing courses offered at prestigious Russell Group institutions decreased by 600 or so in a single week.
The University of Buckingham’s Alan Smithers, a professor of education, predicted that this year will see the largest decline in honours marks. A ten-point decline is a significant change.
Teachers and students may overestimate the marks they will get. It can be a really challenging day, and there will be fierce competition.
“The number of high grades has surged by roughly 160,000 in the previous two years. Unwinding this might produce a record-setting decline,” said Mark Corver of dataHE.
Although James Cleverly, the education secretary, advised students to be upbeat, he also said that they should all be proud of their accomplishments when they collected their results today.
I want to reassure everyone picking up their results that there has never been a broader selection of options accessible, notwithstanding whatever worries they may have.