A-level students in England may miss out as stricter grading returns

Headteachers say return to pre-pandemic marking process means fewer top grades will be awarded

Students in England opening their A-level results on Thursday morning should be braced for disappointment - especially as many will be those who enjoyed a bumper set of GCSE results two years ago.

The bulk of this year's school-leavers receiving their results are those whose GCSE grades were awarded by teacher assessment after exams were cancelled in 2021, with a record-breaking 30% of those entries receiving top 7s, 8s and 9s grades, equivalent to As and A*s.