A-level pass grades fall for first time in three years after introduction of new exams
The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The overall A*-E pass rate, including non-reformed subjects, fell by 0.2 percentage points to 97.9 per cent, according to national figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications. However, the number of pupils scoring an A* or A this summer increased to 26.3 per cent, up 0.5 percentage points on 2016. Figures showed a huge spike in the number of entries for a small range of subjects, including computing, with a 33 per cent rise in the number of A-level students sitting the exam in 2017 compared with last year. “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.


Fewer students take English and humanities subjects at A-level, figures reveal
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