Pupils are celebrating their best ever A-level results outside of Covid after top grades rose for the third year running.Boys also extended their lead over girls, with 28.9 per cent of male entries getting at least an A grade, compared with 28 per cent of female entries.Overall, one in four entries – 28.5 per cent – got at least an A, which is a record high after rises from 28.3 per cent last year, 27.8 per cent in 2024 and 27.2 in 2023.Meanwhile, 9.6 per cent got an A*, compared with 9.4 per cent last year, 9.3 per cent in 2024 and 8.9 per cent in 2023.Outside of the Covid years of 2020-2022, when grades were vastly inflated due to teacher assessment, today's grades are the highest proportion on record.In 2019, only 25.4 per cent of entries got at least an A, while 7.7 got A*.This morning a record number of applicants – 446,690 – were also accepted onto university courses, up on 439,180 last year, according to admissions body Ucas.Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their exam results this morning.Student Natasha Reda celebrates A-level results at Solihull School, Solihull Grace Lewis hugs a friend after receiving their A-level results at Coleg Gwent Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone in Ebbw Vale, Wales Shoime Roy reacts as she receives her A-level results at City of London Academy Highgate Hill in Islington A student opens his A-level results as students gather at Solihull School this morning Students discuss their A-level results this morning outside Oaklands College in Hertfordshire A student at Coleg Gwent Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone speaks on the phone after receiving their A-level results in Ebbw Vale, Wales Student Natasha Reda celebrates A-level results at Solihull School, Solihull Student Natasha Reda celebrates A-level results at Solihull School, SolihullKEY STATISTICS The proportion of candidates receiving top grades has risen for the third year in a row and remains higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.A total of 28.5% of UK entries were awarded either an A or A*, up from 28.3% in 2025 and above the 25.4% in 2019.This is the highest proportion on record outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22 (when the figure peaked at 44.8% in 2021).Some 9.6% of UK entries received an A*.This is also the third increase in a row and is up from 9.4% last year.Discounting the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22 – when the figure peaked at 19.1% in 2021 – 9.6% is the highest proportion since the A* grade was first awarded in 2010.A total of 78.4% of entries received a C or above, up from 77.9% in 2025.This is again the highest percentage for this level of grade outside the pandemic (the figure peaked at 88.5% in 2021).The overall pass rate (grades A* to E) was 97.5%. This is unchanged from 97.5% in 2025 and is slightly below 2019, which was 97.6%.Among the regions of England, London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded grades of A or A* (32.7%, up from 32.1% in 2025) while north-east England and the East Midlands had the joint lowest (23.1%).The East Midlands saw the largest year-on-year fall, down 0.7 points from 23.8%, while north-east England rose slightly by 0.2 points, up from 22.9%.The 9.6 percentage point gap between London and the North East, and between London and the East Midlands, is the largest between these pairs of regions since the present system of grading began in 2010, according to Press Association analysis of results data.Some 30.7% of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, up year-on-year from 30.3%; this was higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.6%, up from 29.5%) and England (28.3%, up from 28.2%).Boys have extended their lead over girls in the top grades.The proportion of boys' entries awarded A or A* this year was 28.9%, 0.9 percentage points higher than the equivalent figure for girls' entries (28.0%).Last year, boys led girls by 0.2 percentage points (28.4% for boys, 28.2% for girls)It is the second year in a row that boys have led girls in entries getting A or above, following a period from 2020-24 when girls were ahead.Boys have also extended their lead over girls in the highest grade, A*.The proportion of boys' entries awarded A* this year was 10.2%, 1.1 points higher than girls (9.1%).Last year, boys led girls by 0.8 percentage points (9.9% for boys, 9.1% for girls).Boys led girls at A* from 2012 through to 2019, before girls moved in front during the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, after which boys reclaimed a lead in 2023.The most popular subject this year was maths, for the 13th year in a row. It had 115,380 entries, up 3.9% from 111,033 in 2025.About one in eight of all A-level entries this year were for maths.Psychology is once again the second most popular subject, with biology remaining in third place and chemistry in fourth.Economics has entered the top five most popular subjects for the first time, ranking in fifth place and up from 10th last year.It replaces business studies, which has dropped from fifth to sixth.A total of 906,425 A-levels were awarded this year, up 2.7% on last year's 882,653. Sir Ian Bauckham, head of exam regulator Ofqual, said: 'These qualifications open doors for students because they are so widely recognised and trusted. 'A Levels are trusted because they are awarded to rigorous and consistent national standards. Universities, employers, and students can have confidence that an A Level grade represents what students know and can do.'Figures released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) also showed 78.4 per cent of entries received a C or above, up from 77.9 per cent in 2025. This is again the highest percentage for this level of grade outside the pandemic.The overall pass rate (grades A* to E) was 97.5 per cent. This is unchanged from 97.5 per cent in 2025 and is slightly below 2019, which was 97.6 per cent. Among the regions of England, London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded grades of A or A* (32.7 per cent, up from 32.1 per cent in 2025) while north-east England and the East Midlands had the joint lowest (23.1 per cent).The East Midlands saw the largest year-on-year fall, down 0.7 points from 23.8 per cent, while north-east England rose slightly by 0.2 points, up from 22.9 per cent.The 9.6 percentage point gap between London and the North East, and between London and the East Midlands, is the largest between these pairs of regions since the present system of grading began in 2010.Some 30.7 per cent of entries in Northern Ireland received A or A*, up year-on-year from 30.3 per cent; this was higher than the equivalent figure for Wales (29.6 per cent, up from 29.5 per cent) and England (28.3 per cent, up from 28.2 per cent).Analysis also showed boys extended their lead over girls in the top grades.The proportion of boys' entries awarded A or A* this year was 28.9 per cent, 0.9 percentage points higher than the equivalent figure for girls' entries (28.0 per cent).Last year, boys led girls by 0.2 percentage points (28.4 per cent for boys, 28.2 per cent for girls).It is the second year in a row that boys have led girls in entries getting A or above, following a period from 2020-24 when girls were ahead.Boys have also extended their lead over girls in the highest grade, A*.The proportion of boys' entries awarded A* this year was 10.2 per cent, 1.1 points higher than girls (9.1 per cent).Last year, boys led girls by 0.8 percentage points (9.9 per cent for boys, 9.1 per cent for girls).Boys led girls at A* from 2012 through to 2019, before girls moved in front during the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, after which boys reclaimed a lead in 2023.The most popular subject this year was maths, for the 13th year in a row. It had 115,380 entries, up 3.9 per cent from 111,033 in 2025.About one in eight of all A-level entries this year were for maths.Psychology is once again the second most popular subject, with biology remaining in third place and chemistry in fourth.Economics has entered the top five most popular subjects for the first time, ranking in fifth place and up from tenth last year.It replaces business studies, which has dropped from fifth to sixth.A total of 906,425 A-levels were awarded this year, up 2.7 per cent on last year's 882,653.Dr Jo Saxton, Ucas chief executive, said: 'Today's school leavers were just starting secondary school when the pandemic interrupted their education.'Given the significant disruption they faced at such a formative stage of their learning, it is wonderful to see so many young people getting a place at university or college. I'm delighted to see them backing themselves and choosing to invest in their education.'Ofqual said the rise in grades was not down to artificial grade inflation, but a rise in maths entries. Maths always produces more top grades than the humanities.More than one in eight of all UK A-level entries (12.7 per cent) were for the subject, the latest figures showed. Sir Ian at Ofqual said the 'sheer size' of maths affected the overall data.