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A level, T level, Btech and VTQ Results Day 2024
Thousands of students across the UK and around the world receive their A level, T level, post-16 vocational and technical (VTQ) qualifications results today and celebrating their remarkable achievements.
As results drop into students’ inboxes, letterboxes and received in school halls this morning and students confirm their choices or consider their options for university clearing, a year out, apprenticeship or employment, figures from this summer’s examination session show a rise in the number of top A level grades.
Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 27.6% of all grades are A* or A – the first rise since 2021 according to government data released after the results were published to students at 8am – up from 25.3% last year. Outcomes at grade C and above are 76.0% compared with 75.4% in 2023.Students studying Cambridge’s A and AS levels received their results earlier this week, in what was a record-breaking examination session for the international programme.
Sir Ian Bauckham, the exams chief regulator, extended congratulations to all students receiving their results today. “This is the culmination of a lot of hard work for them and everyone who supported them on the way. A levels are highly trusted qualifications. Students can be confident their results will be valued and understood by employers and universities for years to come.”
University applications up for 18-year-olds
As well as a record number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds heading to university this autumn, over 80% of all students secured their first-choice university option this year.
Dr Jo Saxton CBE, chief executive of UCAS, the university admissions service, said: “Today’s figures highlight the tenacity and effort from students who have aimed high and are about to embark on their exciting next steps. I’m particularly thrilled to see free school meals students securing a place at university or college in record numbers.
“I know how important it is to everyone working in education that every student, no matter their background, has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Widening access and participation is not just about numbers; it’s about opening up doors and transforming the lives of students through higher education so they can pursue their passions and career aspirations.
This year’s data from Ucas suggests the number of 18-year-olds applying before the June 2024 deadlines was 381,100 – the second-highest figure since 2015 and near 2022’s record-breaking 384,030. This despite 2006 having a comparatively low birth rate, suggesting the appeal of university study remains high.
Fewer people aged over 18 than last year have applied for undergraduate courses. This means the total number of applications is down this year to 656,760 and its lowest level since 2020. It compares to 667,650 in 2023.
Ucas’s figures follow news from Scotland’s results day earlier this month that showed more students achieved their first-choice place this year and that UK universities – including those in Scotland – will continue to welcome international students this autumn at levels similar to previous years, although Scotland’s university has seen a small increase.
According to Ucas, the overall number of accepted international students stands at 51,170, in line with 51,210 in 2023. However, accepted applicants from China are slightly down compared to last year – 10,950 (-6%).
Students focusing their A level options
On the eve of results day, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NEFR) released a new study. It warned that post-16 students are taking a narrower range of subjects than 20 years ago, largely because of the move from AS levels to A levels.
The research shows a sharp reduction in the range of subjects chosen by students since 2015-16 when AS and A level qualifications were separated and that students are increasingly choosing their AS and A levels from a single subject group.
Between 2015–16 and 2021–22, the proportion of students taking AS or A levels from a single subject group increased from 21% to 36%.
Commenting on the NEFR’s research, Dr Molly Morgan Jones, director of policy at the British Academy, underlined the importance of education that offers breadth and balance for economic growth and social wellbeing. “This new report is a foundational piece of policy work for the British Academy and our SHAPE Observatory, which shows a particular decline in humanities and arts subjects in post-16 education. Failure to address this decline will have knock-on effects, not only for these subjects in UK universities but also on the skills young people take out into the workforce and the wider world.
“Breadth and balance should be at the heart of any future post-16 curriculum. The school curriculum should be interconnected and equitable, allowing and encouraging all students from all backgrounds to study a range of disciplines. Our students’ skills, and our societal growth, depend on it.”
NFER senior economist and report lead author, Michael Scott, added, “Students’ post-16 education choices matter. They affect both their short-term learning outcomes, such as the skills they develop, and their long-term outcomes, including wellbeing. Young people are studying a narrower range of subjects. It is critical that future reforms to the post-16 landscape carefully consider possible impacts on the nature and the range of subjects that students choose.”
International A and AS levels
Internationally, data from Cambridge International Education published on Tuesday shows that while take-up of traditional courses at A and AS level remain strong – and double-digit growth in British curriculum examinations from Cambridge – there has been a significant uptick this year in the number of students taking IGCSE, O, A and AS level exams in the board’s environmental management, marine science and global perspectives courses.
Speaking to Relocate Global Rod Smith, group managing director for international education at Cambridge, said that as international education becomes more mature, there is increasingly an opportunity to introduce and study wider subjects in preparation for university.
Engineering and medicine, which remain popular, are being joined by a wider range of subjects students are looking to study at degree level. “We are finding this is manifesting itself in the growth of slightly less traditional subjects, subjects that are a bit broader, and actually specifically focused on issues young people really care about,” he said.
Data from Ucas shows that the top three subjects with the largest increase in total placed applicants are engineering and technology (+11% on last year), architecture, building and planning (+9%) and law (+9%).
T levels and Level 3 vocational qualifications
The number of students receiving T level results today in the 16 pathways more than doubled from last year’s 3,500 students (for the ten pathways).
Today, 7,380 students are in receipt of their provisional results, with 88.7% securing a pass or above (90.5% in 2023) and 95.1% completing an industry placement (94.9% last year).
The pass rate for female students is 94.7 %, while for male students this is 83.9%.
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