Record intake at ‘firm choice’ unis, while inequalities persist

A record number of 18-year-olds secured a place at their first-choice university this year, but exam boards have warned that regional inequalities are “getting worse, not better.”

82% of offer holders were accepted into their ‘firm choice’ university this year – up 9,830 from 2024.

Acceptances at ‘higher tariff’ universities, such as those in the Russell Group, saw the highest growth at 7.2% on last year. However, many university places were still available in Clearing after results day, amid growing uncertainty surrounding international student numbers.

A-level results continued to rise year-on-year, with 28.3% of all grades across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland awarded an A* or A grade, up by 0.5% on last year.

This makes the class of 2025 the highest-scoring cohort outside of those in the Covid-affected years of 2020-22.

With top grades rising, however, so too has regional disparity. Attainment gaps have widened across England based on figures released by the exam regulator Ofqual, sparking concern about entrenched inequality.

Only 22.9% of entries in North East England were marked at A* or A – a record 9.2 percentage points behind the top-performing region (London). Private school pupils were also nearly twice as likely (48.5%) to secure top grades than their peers at state school (25.4%).

Experts have attributed these differences in grades to poverty, the cost-of-living crisis, the impact of Covid, and a lack of support services and social care.

Everybody in the education system is working very hard to make sure that young people, in whatever region […] achieve the best possible results

Sir Ian Bauckham, Head of Ofqual

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, warned: “We cannot keep pretending the North East-London gap is about standards. It is about deep-rooted structural inequalities that no government has seriously addressed.”

He expressed concern that without “urgent, sustained action”, this gap will keep growing.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Too often, opportunities depend on background rather than talent.”

She added: “The entrenched divide in outcomes seen over the last few years and the lack of progress for children from white working-class backgrounds is particularly concerning.”

Sir Ian Bauckham, Head of Ofqual, also shared his disappointment with the widening regional divide but maintained that “everybody in the education system is working very hard to make sure that young people, in whatever region … achieve the best possible results.”

For the first time since 2018, boys outperformed girls in A-levels. 28.4% of boys were awarded an A* or A, a 0.2 percentage point lead over girls. Girls continued to outperform boys in most subjects, yet boys increased their lead in maths, which remains the most popular subject.

Inequality has also continued to persist at GCSE level, with male state school students less likely than their peers to achieve top grades. 48.1% of results from fee-paying schools in England received a grade 7 or above, compared with 18.2% at non-selective state schools.