KES Pupils Celebrate Wonderful A Level Results, With Almost Three Quarters of Entries at A* or A

After two years of tremendous hard work, and having faced the significant disruption, impact and uncertainty of Covid throughout, pupils at King Edward’s are today deservedly celebrating some outstanding A Level results. This year’s outgoing Year 13 cohort were unable to sit any public examinations as a GCSE cohort in 2020, but despite all of the challenges, they have come through with flying colours.  

As has been widely reported, this year’s grades have been set by the exam boards at a point which is part way between those of summer 2019 and summer 2021, with the exams regulator, Ofqual, noting that “this will provide a safety net for students, to reflect the disruption this cohort have experienced already in their course of study and recognising the fact that, because of the pandemic, most A level students won’t have taken public exams before.” 

These circumstances make the outcomes for KES pupils this year all the more impressive, with almost three quarters of entries graded at A* or A (73%). A* successes alone accounted for 38% of entries, with the A*-B success rate standing at 90%. The overall pass rate was again 100%. Well over half the cohort (56%) achieved only A*/A grades, and a remarkable 17% of pupils gained straight A*s, including four pupils with 5 A*s. 

A combination of factors has meant that this has been one of the most competitive years for entry into Higher Education on record, but despite this, 90% of KES pupils have secured the grades needed to gain entry into their first choice institution, including all those holding Oxbridge or Ivy League offers. Other popular destinations for KES pupils this year include Birmingham, Manchester, Exeter, Leeds and Edinburgh. 

Headmaster, Martin Boden, commented: “Like their peers around the country, our Year 13 pupils have had to show impressive resilience and determination in the face of significant challenges over these past two and a half years, and I am delighted that they have been rewarded with such excellent A Level results. They have not only flourished academically, but have continued throughout to play a very full part in a remarkable co-curricular programme, and they move on from King Edward’s knowing that they have left their mark on the School in many different ways. I congratulate each and every one of them, as well as all the teachers and parents who have also had to be incredibly resourceful and determined. I thank all of our Year 13 leavers for all their contributions to KES over the years and wish them all the very best in the next stage of their educational journey.”