A-level data released yesterday by exams regulator Ofqual points to a small rise in both top grades and the pass rate, but a widening of the regional divide. Overall, entries awarded As and A*s increased from 27.6 per cent in 2024 to 28.2 per cent in 2025. The A*-E pass rate also increased from 97.1 per cent to 97.4 per cent. Ofqual said standards would be comparable to 2023 and 2024 after it concluded its plans to return to normal grading after the pandemic. Tes summarises the performance of each subject. By Jasmine Norden and Cerys Turner. Also covered by Schools Week. 

The A-level results gap between state and independent schools has dropped to its lowest level since 2022, iNews reports. This year, 76.5 per cent of state school entries achieved at least a C grade, compared with 89.8 per cent of independent school entries. The 13.3 percentage point gap is down from 14.8 last year and lower than in 2023, when it was 14.6 points, according to the paper's analysis. With 7.9 per cent of state school entries and 19.8 per cent of independent school entries getting an A*, the attainment gap for higher marks is 11.9 percentage points. Last year it was 12.2 percentage points. Both state and independent school pupils received higher levels of grades of C or above, but Ofqual data shows the increase was higher for state schools. The attainment gap also shrank for the top grades, from 23.9 percentage points last year to 23.1. By Alexa Phillips.

A record number of pupils have secured university and college places this year, with university admissions reflecting growing interest in physics, mechanical engineering, biochemistry, and other STEM subjects. Pledging to address "entrenched inequalities", Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said: "Every young person should have the opportunity to achieve and thrive." By Nicola Woolcock, Georgia Lambert, Ed Halford, Matilda Davies and George Willoughby, The Times. 

According to the Joint Council for Qualifications, the most popular subjects were, like last year, mathematics, psychology and biology. The Telegraph provides readers with an interactive tool enabling them to compare their child's results against the wider cohort in the various subjects they sat. By Ollie Corfe and Mariana Hallal.

The Times' education editor, Nicola Woolcock, analyses this year’s exam trends to identify why boys have edged ahead at A-level by widening the gap at the top A* grade and overtaking girls at A*/A. She suggests A*/A results may be influenced by subject choices, particularly the rise in maths entries, adding that while girls continue to outperform overall, there are signs of possible disengagement. The Telegraph also looks at the disparity between boys' and girls' results, with experts attributing the shift to boys' increased participation in STEM subjects. The paper notes that this year's exam results "come at a crucial moment" for independent schools, following the introduction of the government's VAT on fees policy. By Ollie Corfe.

Sky News reports that London has remained the top-ranked region this year, and that the proportion of its students with top grades increased by 0.7 percentage points. By Kate Schneider, data journalist. 

The Guardian asks if ministers are doing enough to tackle regional disparities, and quotes Natalie Perera, chief executive of the Education Policy Institute, who is calling for "targeted investment in high quality teaching at all stages of education and, crucially, a fully funded cross-government child poverty strategy". By Sally Weale. Schools Week looks at which subjects had the most top grades, with art and design and media subjects seeing the largest increases in top grades among the most popular A-level subjects this year. By Ruth Lucas.

In light of the wealth of A-level results data released yesterday, Tes has reviewed the information to highlight the most important insights. By Ellen Peirson-Hagger and Dan Worth. BBC News features a similar article summarising the key takeaways. By Hazel Shearing and the data journalism team. The broadcaster has also published advice for students on how clearing works and when resits take place, with additional reporting from Jenna Moon, Jemma Crew and Imogen James. Further articles outline the cost of going to university and how apprenticeships work. Both articles by Hazel Shearing.

Writing in The Telegraph, columnist Rowan Pelling comforts students concerned that they have not achieved the grades they had hoped for. Expressing her "deep sympathy" for those who might be disappointed with yesterday's results, she says "nothing is set in stone".

Numerous media outlets featured stories of students receiving their results yesterday. The Guardian met Eva, a pupil at Birkenhead Sixth Form College, who was one of hundreds of delighted students collecting their results outside the state college, which emphasises social mobility and opportunity in an area with some of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK. By Raphael Boyd. BBC News talked to Megan from Caerphilly who received two A*s and a B and said the support of family and friends along the way had been crucial, as she had balanced her studies alongside helping to care for her brother, who has learning difficulties, and working part-time. "It's taken a lot of work and patience but I'm so glad it paid off," Megan said. By Maia Davis.

Several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned across today's media coverage.

Rebecca Young, a pupil at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, has been named among Time magazine's girls of the year for inventing a solar-powered blanket to help homeless people stay warm. Designed when she was 12, the blanket was later developed into a working product by engineering firm Thales. Speaking to BBC News, Rebecca said: "Seeing all the homeless people, it made me want to help – it's a problem that should be fixed." Daniel Wyatt, the academy's rector, described her as "a role model for any young person who wants to follow their own path in life". By Jonathan Geddes.

Felix Merritt, an 18-year-old former GB swimmer turned rower, told BBC News he is "overjoyed" with his A-level results after being offered a fully funded place at Millfield School in Somerset. His mother learned about a charity supporting disadvantaged pupils through a chance conversation at a pool. Felix said attending the boarding school "really focused" him, helping him achieve straight-As and a place to study mechanical engineering at the University of Bath. Gavin Horgan, head at Millfield, said: "Felix epitomises what Millfield can do for a young person given the opportunity to access and balance academics and sport at high levels." By Bea Swallow. 

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