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Whatever the grades, well done to everyone who received their results today. Best of luck to those hoping to secure a university place through clearing.

For those considering university next year, we will be publishing the Guardian's University Guide 2027 in early September with our rankings of the top universities and lots of useful advice on choosing the right course and institution for you. You can read last year's guide here.

Here is a summary of today's events:

• Sixth-formers have basked in a summer of record-breaking exam results in academic and vocational subjects, allowing more than a quarter of a million 18-year-olds to go on to higher education. The proportion of students in England gaining the highest grade of A* in A-level subjects rose to 9.7%, up from 9.4% last year, setting a new record outside the pandemic era, when exams were scrapped.

• Northern Ireland was the best-performing country, with 30.7% of grades being As and A*s, followed by 29.6% in Wales and 28.7% in England. The A-level results followed last week's improved results in Scotland, where the proportion of students awarded Highers and Advanced Highers qualifications rose above 2019 pre-pandemic levels, and a record 18,000 Scottish school-leavers gained higher education places.

• Boys have outperformed girls in terms of top grades again, after doing so for the first time in seven years last year. Overall, 28.9% of boys' A-level entries scored an A* or A this summer, compared to 28.0% of their female classmates' entries – a gap of 0.9 percentage points.

• The gap between the proportion of A-level entries in London getting the top grades and the equivalent figure in both north-east England and the East Midlands has reached a new record size. 32.7% of entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, up from 32.1% in 2025 and the highest for any region in England, the exam results show.

• Councils in the south of England have topped the league tables this year. In Guildford, half of all A-levels recieved an A grade or above, while Richmond in London saw 49% of grades achieve at least an A. Not all Southern areas did as well. Harlow in Essex saw just 7% of grades achieve at least an A, while Test Valley in Hampshire saw 10% (the average for England was 28%).

• Results for students taking vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) have taken a more prominent role during results day this year, after prime minister Andy Burnham declared his ambition to build parity between academic and vocational paths. More than 300,000 VTQ results across 420 qualifications were awarded, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications, with business, administration and law the most popular subject areas.

• Students at private schools in England saw their top grades remain relatively flat this year – with 48.6% receiving an A* or A grade, up just 0.5 percentage points on last year. Meanwhile, students at sixth form colleges saw grades rise 0.5 points, academies saw grades rise 0.4 points, and local authority controlled comprehensives saw a 0.3 point rise. Grammar schools saw a slight fall in A and A* grades.

• While the improvement in national A-level results in England is taking the headlines, social mobility experts say they are alarmed by the widening gap in performance between students in London and the south of England and their peers in other parts of the country. Nick Harrison, head of the Sutton Trust that campaigns on improving social mobility through education, said the results "reveal an increasingly stark regional divide, as London continues to pull further ahead of the rest of England".

• Shakespeare is out, while Isaac Newton is in, the figures show. This year's results have continued the squeezing of arts and humanities subjects – which made up just over a quarter of exam entries. Ten years ago, they made up 40% of A-level exams. As we've written earlier, the squeeze is mainly driven by maths, other STEM subjects, and increasingly social science subjects like economics.

• Exam boards pushed back on any suggestion of grade inflation after A-level students recorded record levels at A and A*. Presenting the results at a briefing by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), Richard Henry, director of qualifications and assessment at the Welsh exam board, WJEC, insisted grades could be trusted.

• Results day is always governed by strict embargo, but some anxious students got their news early after the University of Surrey accidentally sent out text messages to successful applicants last night. Instead of sending the information at 8.10am Thursday morning, text messages went out to 2,400 successful applicants (about half the total) at 8.10pm last night when the nation was enjoying the eclipse.

• The number of UK school leavers accepted on to degree courses has risen to a record high this year, Ucas figures show. A total of 262,820 UK 18-year-olds have gained a place at university or college – up 3% on the same point last year, according to data published by the university admissions service.

• For international students, 53,740 applicants have been accepted on to undergraduate courses – up by 2% on the 52,640 who were successful last year. Accepted applicants from China rose to 13,870 from 12,380 last year.

Councils in the south of England have topped the league tables this year. In Guildford, half of all A Levels recieved an A grade or above, while Richmond in London saw 49% of grades achieve at least an A.

Not all Southern areas did as well. Harlow in Essex saw just 7% of grades achieve at least an A, while Test Valley in Hampshire saw 10% (the average for England was 28%).

You can search for your local council in the table below and see how it compares to England as a whole.

PA crunched the numbers, looking at regional differences in grade attainment. It shows the 2026 results, the equivalent figure for 2025 and the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded A or A*, by nation and region:

– North-east England 23.1% (2025: 22.9%; 2019: 23.0%)

– North-west England 26.5% (2025: 26.6%; 2019: 23.5%)

– Yorkshire + the Humber 25.7% (2025: 25.3%; 2019: 23.2%)

– West Midlands 24.2% (2025: 24.2%; 2019: 22.0%)

– East Midlands 23.1% (2025: 23.8%; 2019: 21.0%)

– Eastern England 27.9% (2025: 28.0%; 2019: 25.6%)

– South-west England 27.2% (2025: 27.0%; 2019: 25.8%)

– South-east England 31.5% (2025: 31.3%; 2019: 28.3%)

– London 32.7% (2025: 32.1%; 2019: 26.9%)

– England 28.3% (2025: 28.2%; 2019: 25.2%)

– Wales 29.6% (2025: 29.5%; 2019: 26.5%)

– Northern Ireland 30.7% (2025: 30.3%; 2019: 29.4%)

– All 28.5% (2025: 28.3%; 2019: 25.4%)

Here are the percentages of A-level entries awarded C or above, by nation and region:

– North-east England 75.8% (2025: 74.9%; 2019: 76.3%)

– North-west England 78.4% (2025: 78.2%; 2019: 75.6%)

– Yorkshire + the Humber 78.1% (2025: 76.8%; 2019: 74.7%)

– West Midlands 74.6% (2025: 74.2%; 2019: 72.8%)

– East Midlands 73.5% (2025: 73.6%; 2019: 73.0%)

– Eastern England 77.9% (2025: 77.8%; 2019: 75.7%)

– South-west England 77.9% (2025: 77.3%; 2019: 76.0%)

– South-east England 79.5% (2025: 79.5%; 2019: 78.0%)

– London 80.5% (2025: 79.5%; 2019: 74.8%)

– England 78.1% (2025: 77.7%; 2019: 75.5%)

– Wales 77.6% (2025: 77.2%; 2019: 76.3%)

– Northern Ireland 86.9% (2025: 85.8%; 2019: 85.0%)

– All 78.4% (2025: 77.9%; 2019: 75.9%)

, social mobility professor at Exeter University said the results show England is no longer a "simple north–south divide".

It is increasingly a story of London pulling away from much of the country.

Today's results show a record gap in top A-level grades between London and the lowest-performing regions.

The King's nephew the Earl of Wessex will attend the Royal Agricultural University after achieving the grades needed for his chosen course, it is understood.

James, 18, will study for a rural land and property management degree at the university in Cirencester after joining thousands of teenagers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who received their A-level results.

In light of Andy Burnham's stated ambition to bridge England's deep-rooted north-south regional divide, today's A-level results only confirm the scale of the challenge he faces.

London continues to extend its lead with 32.7% of pupils receiving grade A or above, up from 31.9% last year. This is the largest increase of any region, and extends the gap between the capital and the north-east to 9.6 percentage points. Before Covid it was 3.9pp.

The gap in A* grades has also widened substantially, from 2 percentage points in 2019 before the pandemic – to 5.1 points in 2026.

Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East which represents over 1,150 schools in the region, said:

There is not a north-south divide in the quality of schools or in the potential and ambition of young people. There is a structural divide in the circumstances and opportunities surrounding them.

Schools in different parts of England are not operating on a level playing field. In the north-east, schools are working within communities facing entrenched disadvantage, intense pressure on public services, growing SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] needs and very different access to opportunities and infrastructure.

Increasingly, schools are being asked to compensate for all of those things.

That does not mean accepting lower outcomes. These divides are not inevitable. But we will not close them simply by demanding more from schools while leaving the conditions around them unchanged.

Government needs to treat this as a system challenge. We need a long-term approach that connects education with early years, health, SEND, transport, skills and economic development, alongside high-quality academic and vocational pathways.

Commenting on today's figures, which show record demand for higher education and a record number of UK 18-year-olds applying to university, University Alliance chief executive Vanessa Wilson said:

Firstly, congratulations to everyone receiving their results today. Whether you've secured your first-choice place, are exploring options through clearing, or are still deciding what's right for you, this is an important milestone and you should be proud of what you've achieved.

The continued growth in demand for higher education shows that students recognise the value of developing the knowledge, skills and experience they need to succeed in the rapidly changing world of work. Professional and technical universities play a crucial role in this, combining academic learning with practical, work-related experience and foundational partnerships with employers.

For students who got different results than expected, it's not too late to find a course that's right for you. There are excellent opportunities available through clearing. Our universities are on hand to support and advise you to find the right opportunity.

Here are some more photos from this morning, as students continue to receive their A-level results …

As London continued to stretch its lead ahead of the rest of the country, one of the capital's highest-scoring schools celebrated a stellar set of A-level results which will enable one in 10 students to realise their dream and go on to study medicine at university.

At Michaela Community School in Brent, students achieved an average of AAA across all subjects, while one in three exams were graded A* and 90% were B or above.

Head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh, star of a TV documentary called Britain's Strictest Headteacher, celebrated her pupils' success with a string of touching result reveal clips on X.

"We are delighted with these fantastic results," she said, adding, "11% of students are going to study medicine, 85% will be going off to Russell Group Universities."

Shakespeare is out, while Isaac Newton is in, the figures show. This year's results have continued the squeezing of arts and humanities subjects – which made up just over a quarter of exam entries.

Ten years ago, they made up 40% of A-level exams. As we've written earlier, the squeeze is mainly driven by maths, other STEM subjects, and increasingly social science subjects like economics.

For English, the writing may not quite yet be on the wall, but its not looking great.

Students at private schools in England saw their top grades remain relatively flat this year – with 48.6% receiving an A* or A grade, up just 0.5 percentage points on last year.

Meanwhile students at sixth form colleges saw grades rise 0.5 points, academies saw grades rise 0.4 points, and local authority controlled comprehensives saw a 0.3 point rise. Meanwhile grammar school saw a slight fall in A and A* grades.

During the pandemic – when grades were teacher assessed – private schools saw a larger jump in top grades compared to other centres. Since then the gap between private and state funded schools has narrowed, and in recent years has remained steady.

Results for students taking vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) have taken a more prominent role during results day this year, after prime minister Andy Burnham declared his ambition to build parity between academic and vocational paths.

More than 300,000 VTQ results across 420 qualifications were awarded, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications, with business, administration and law the most popular subject areas.

The number of students receiving results for T-levels – which are two-year technical education courses available in England and equivalent in size to three A-levels – jumped 65% on last year as the qualification continues to establish itself. Almost 20,000 students received results, up from 12,000 last year, with a pass rate of over 90%.

The prime minister congratulated students, saying: "It's brilliant to see more students succeeding in T-levels, more taking maths and STEM subjects, and more young people progressing to the next stage of their education or training.

"The talent is there in every town and city in this country. Our task is to match that talent with opportunity, whether that's through university, an apprenticeship or a technical pathway that leads to a great career. That's how we'll build a stronger Britain, restore hope and ensure every young person can look to the future with confidence."

Dani Payne, head of education and social mobility at the Social Market Foundation thinktank, said today's results showed the scale of the challenge facing the government. "T-level growth offers real encouragement for Andy Burnham's push to put technical education on a more equal footing with academic routes.

"The number of students receiving a T-level technical qualification result has risen by around two-thirds in just one year, while outcomes remain strong, suggesting that expanding these qualifications does not have to come at the expense of standards."

But higher education remains by far the more established and visible route for young people, she said. "More than 320,000 students received A-level results today, compared with fewer than 20,000 receiving T level results, while a record 262,820 UK 18-year-olds have already been placed at university.

"If [Burnham] wants technical education to command genuine parity of esteem, creating new pathways will only be the beginning. It will require sustained investment in further education, to ensure these new pathways lead somewhere meaningful: into good jobs, training and further study."

While the improvement in national A-level results in England is taking the headlines, social mobility experts say they are alarmed by the widening gap in performance between students in London and the south of England and their peers in other parts of the country.

Nick Harrison, head of the Sutton Trust that campaigns on improving social mobility through education, said the results "reveal an increasingly stark regional divide, as London continues to pull further ahead of the rest of England".

Harrison said:

A young person's chances shouldn't depend so heavily on where they go to school, and these results underline the need for concerted action to tackle the attainment gap and regional differences across England.

Myles McGinley, managing director of the Cambridge OCR exam board, noted that even within London there were stark inequality geps between the capital's boroughs:

London's success at a regional level is masking some severe inequalities within the capital itself. It's a reminder that we can improve opportunities throughout the country, even in the regions that seem to be the most successful.

The proportion of top grades can more than double just by crossing the river. Almost half of every A-level result in Richmond-upon-Thames was an A or A*. In neighbouring Hounslow that figure is closer to one in five.

Prime minister Andy Burnham offered his congratulations to A-level students this morning.

He said:

I want to congratulate everyone receiving their results today. I know there will have been a mix of excitement, nerves and relief this morning, but you should all be proud of the hard work that got you here.

It's brilliant to see more students succeeding in T-levels, more taking maths and Stem subjects, and more young people progressing to the next stage of their education or training.

The talent is there in every town and city in this country. Our task is to match that talent with opportunity, whether that's through university, an apprenticeship or a technical pathway that leads to a great career. That's how we'll build a stronger Britain, restore hope and ensure every young person can look to the future with confidence.

This year's top 10 most chosen subjects is once again the same as last year– but there has been some movement.

Once again, maths has dominated - with more than 107,000 students taking the subject in England (and that's not including almost 20,000 further maths entries).

Economics has shot up the rankings to become the fifth most popular subject, overtaking sociology, physics and business. History was also a big winner, rising three places to become the 6th most popular subject.

Sociology fell four places – but the drop was more than made up by rises in students taking other social sciences. Politics, law and psychology – like economics – all saw significant rises in entries.

Results day is always governed by strict embargo, but some anxious students got their news early after the University of Surrey accidentally sent out text messages to successful applicants last night.

Instead of sending the information at 8.10am Thursday morning, text messages went out to 2,400 successful applicants (about half the total) at 8.10pm last night when the nation was enjoying the eclipse.

A spokesperson for the University of Surrey said:

A scheduled results day text message was sent at the wrong time to some University of Surrey offer holders.

We are extremely sorry for this error. We self-reported to Ucas and worked closely with their team through the evening.

We immediately put in place a dedicated line for people who received the messages in error and were available to provide support through the night.

Among the most striking trends in A-levels this year is the surge in popularity of economics at A-level which jumped to the fifth most popular course, up from 10th position last year, with more than 47,000 entries.

Myles McGinley, managing director of the Cambridge OCR exam board, speaking at a briefing by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), said: "The students getting their A-level results today were born around 2008.

"So they're the children of the financial crisis [and they] will have experienced the implications and impacts of that through Covid and beyond, and those forces that really shape the world.

So I think it feels natural that they should be interested in that. And of course we know that economics provides excellent career options."