School Standards Minister, , said:
Congratulations to everyone receiving their results today,
which are the culmination of two years of dedication and hard
work. We want everyone, regardless of background, to be able to
fulfil their potential and, for many, A levels are the pathway
to a university degree.
The increase in entries to facilitating subjects, those that
give students the greatest choice of options at university,
mean even more young people will have access to all the
opportunities higher education provides.
There has been a strong uptake in core subjects, such as maths,
which continues to be the most popular A level with maths and
further maths having nearly 25 per cent more entries than in
2010. This and increasing entries to science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM) subjects bodes well for the
economic prosperity of our country. It will help to grow our
workforce in these sectors, allowing young people to secure
well-paid jobs and compete in the global jobs market of post
Brexit Britain.
Increasing the number of girls studying STEM subjects has been
an important objective of the Government, so it is particularly
pleasing to see that more young women are taking STEM subjects
and that for the first time since 2004 there are more young
women than young men studying chemistry. I hope everyone
receiving their results will go on to successful careers.
Today’s (17 August, 2017) A level results show:
- The overall UK pass rate (A* to E) has remained stable since
2009, and is 97.9% for 2017
- The percentage of entries awarded the top A* or A is 26.3%,
an increase on last year
- Mathematics remains the most popular A level subject,
followed by combined English (literature and language)
- The proportion of all entries in science, technology,
engineering and technology (STEM) has increased
- There are more female entries in chemistry than males for the
first time since 2004
- The number of entries to facilitating subjects has increased,
including in mathematics, further mathematics, geography and
physics
- The proportion of A* to A grades awarded in French, German
and Spanish all increased
- The percentage of entries awarded the top grade at AS level
has increased to 23.8%
