Congratulations on your results! On the 13th of August, over 880,000 students across the UK received their A-Level and AS-Level results. If you were a part of this cohort, your results played a major role in breaking multiple records!
2026 marks the third year since A-level grading resumed pre-pandemic levels, and results have been stable, with increases this year in A-level grades and university acceptances.
Rising grades
This year saw a rise in A-level grades from last year; 28.5% of grades were marked A* or A, up from 28.3% on the previous year. Although this is significantly lower than 2020, when exams were cancelled, this year is further proof that grading has returned to 'normal' pre-pandemic levels (that students are doing increasingly better with.)
Top subjects
Maths was the most popular subject this year, and accounted for about 1 in 8 of the A-Level results released. 42.1% of students received either an A* or A in maths, compared to 41.6% last year.
Psychology and biology were the most popular choices after maths (OFQUAL).
Economics rose drastically in popularity, going from the 10th most popular subject to the 5th most popular.
University acceptance rates
As a result, the number of students accepted into universities has also increased. UCAS stated that 228,990 18-year-olds have been accepted to their firm choice university. The biggest increase in acceptances was seen from more selective institutions, which has been referred to as “higher tariff universities” by UCAS.
Overall, the statistics tell us that students are doing consistently well and are not only adapting better to pre-pandemic grading, but are becoming more capable. A rise in university acceptances is further testament to this.
Not happy?
If you received your results yesterday and are unhappy with your university options, don’t worry, you have plenty of options. Check out our clearing guide to understand what to do next.
Next steps
If you are happy with your choice, congratulations! Take the next step and look for accommodation on the AFS website, where thousands of options are available across different cities!
If you have already found your accommodation, then it’s time to kit your room out! Use code: AFS10 to get 10% off any of the kits at Uni Kit Out and to save yourself running around every shop to find the essentials you need for moving to uni!
