On Thursday 10th August 2021, students across the UK received their A Level results.
Recognising the disruption that the pandemic has caused to education, The Government and Ofqual decided that grades would this year be determined by teachers rather than examining bodies.
Students were able to be assessed on a range of evidence, including in-class tests, mock papers, optional questions provided by exam boards and coursework.
According to the Department for Education, all grades have been checked by schools and one in five schools having a sample of their grades checked by exam boards.
The number of As and A*s awarded have increased to 44.8% from 38.5% last year.
The number of students studying STEM A Levels (Maths and Further Maths, Computer Science, Biology, Physics and Chemistry) increased by 6.4% overall this academic year.
According to The Chartered Institute for IT, Computing is the fastest growing STEM A level, with numbers in England rising by 12%.
More female students than ever took Computing A-level this year, with figures showing an increase of 13% on 2020. The numbers of female students choosing Computing A-level in 2021 has increased by over 350% since 2015, according to analysis of A-level results data by BCS.
The number of students studying art and design at A-Level has gone up for the first time since 2017.
Grade data released today by Ofqual, shows that 39,295 students took A-Levels in art and design subjects in 2021.
Continuing a trend seen for well over a decade, girls were nearly three times as likely to study art and design in 2021 compared with their male peers.
The gender split also shows girls achieving slightly higher grades overall.
For more information on this year’s A Level results, see here.