16 to 19 performance
Performance data by age 16 to 19 in England. Includes qualification type, characteristic, geographic, provider, and subject breakdowns.
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Headline facts and figures
Average A level result
B-
No change in average grade from 2024/25 (36.10 points to 36.18 points)
Average T level result
Dist-
37.93 points
Average applied general result
Dist-
An increase from Merit+ in 2024/25 (29.99 points to 30.46 points)
Average tech level result
Merit+
No change in average grade from 2024/25 (28.88 points to 29.51 points)
Average technical certificate result
L2Merit-
No change in average grade from 2024/25 (5.60 points to 5.69 points)
- The A level average point score per entry (APS) has risen slightly in comparison to last year, by 0.1pts. Applied general and tech level APS have risen by 0.5pts and 0.6pts respectively when compared to last year, and the average applied general grade has increased to Dist-.
- Gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students continue to narrow slightly for the level 3 cohorts.
- Within the A level, T level, and applied general cohort, female students achieve higher average point scores (APS) compared to male students.
- The regional attainment gap continues to widen across level 3 cohorts.
- For students who did not achieve a grade 4 or above at key stage 4, 83.5% of students entered an approved English qualification, and 83.6% of students entered an approved maths qualification during 16-19 study. Of these students, 42.8% and 35.2% of English and maths students respectively improved their point score.
About the data
This statistical release focuses on the A level, T level, and other results of students at the end of 16-19 study in 2025/26 in schools and colleges in England. T level attainment is included for the first time in this release.
Comparisons are made to final data for 2024/25.
A/AS levels, T levels, and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) awarded in summer 2026 and were published in August
Statistics in this release for 2025/26 include grades received by students as announced on 13th August 2026. The exam grades have been matched to students to enable student level analyses.
Breakdowns of the A/AS level grades achieved in summer 2026 were previously published on results day by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) (opens in new tab). Similarly, provisional T level results for 2025/26 were published by DfE in August for students who had started a T Level in England in 2024/25. These statistics were at exam entry level for students of all ages in England and the UK. However, data in this statistical release covers exam entries by 16 to 19 year olds in schools and colleges in England.
In addition, Ofqual (opens in new tab)also routinely publish statistics on results day for students in England.
Performance measures methodology
Further details on specific performance measures methodology, qualifications approved for reporting, and determining when a student is at the end of 16-19 study are given in methodology documentation.
Introduction: students and results reported in these statistics
Qualifications are grouped into A level (subset of Academic), T level, applied general, and tech level exam cohorts at level 3, and technical certificates at level 2. Applied general, tech level and technical certificates are ‘vocational and technical qualifications’ (VTQs). Students can be reported in more than one exam cohort. Further detail on the cohorts is available in 16 to 19 accountability headline measures: technical guide (opens in new tab).
The number of students in the level 3 cohort has risen
Compared to 2024/25, the number of students at the end of 16-19 study has increased by 4.4%, and the number of students in the level 3 cohort has risen by 5.4%. This increase is largely driven by the introduction of T levels into these statistics. The proportion of students entering applied general and tech level qualifications has decreased by 2.5% and 15.3% respectively.
The A level cohort, which includes some students who just enter AS levels, has increased slightly by 2.2%.
The increase in the A level cohort size in 2021/22 and 2022/23 coincided with more students getting higher GCSE grades at KS4 two years earlier when students received centre-assessment and teacher assessed grades (CAGs and TAGs).
In 2025/26 the technical certificate cohort (who generally enter the qualification in their first year of their 16 to 19 study) has increased compared to last year (11.4%). Lower student numbers in 2021/22 and 2022/23 were due to removing grades awarded through CAG/TAG, where the pattern of early entries meant this cohort was more strongly impacted (see section ‘Annex F: COVID impacts on these statistics’ of the Methodology).
Attainment
These figures give the average points and average result that students achieved throughout their 16 to 19 study. Points are given to all qualifications approved for reporting so we can compare qualifications of different size and grading structures. A maximum of 60 points are available for A level and T level qualifications, 50 points for applied general and tech level qualifications, and 8 points for technical certificates.
Average point scores per entry (APS) are higher than last year
The A level average point score per entry (APS) has risen slightly from 36.10 to 36.18 when compared to last year. (NB, for all level 3 qualifications a change in 1pt corresponds to a change of 1/10th of a grade; meaning this slight annual increase in A level attainment of 0.1pts translates into an increase of just 1/100th of a grade).
The T level APS, reported in these statistics for the first time, is 37.93pts.
Across the applied general and tech level cohorts the APS has risen when compared to last year, by 0.5pts and 0.6pts respectively.
Retention
The retention measure shows the percentage of students who are retained to the end of the ‘core aim’ (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college. More details on the underlying methodology are given in the methodology documentation.
The most recent retention data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 retention figures will be released in March 2027 (opens in new tab).
The retention rates across all level 3 study programmes have risen in 2024/25 when compared to 2023/24. Rising retention rates may be linked to there being fewer students whose key stage 4 prior attainment was based on centre-assessed and teacher-assessed (CAG and TAG) grades. Most students complete their 16 to 19 study in two years, but some take three. Therefore, 2025/26 will be the first year where retention figures are fully comparable with pre‑pandemic years.
A level programmes continue to have the highest retention rates, as has been the case since 2015/16, when the measure was introduced. Applied general programmes have the lowest level 3 retention rates, which has been the general trend since the measure was introduced with the notable exception of 2021/22.
Technical certificate programmes continued to have a lower retention rate than the level 3 programmes. However, they have also seen a rise in retention rate in 2024/25 when compared to the previous year.
Results by disadvantage status
Disadvantage status at 16-19 is as recorded at the end of Key Stage 4. Pupils are defined as disadvantaged at Key Stage 4 if they are known to have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the past six years (from year 6 to year 11), if they are recorded as having been looked after for at least one day or if they are recorded as having been adopted from care.
Disadvantage measures do not include students who were not reported at the end of KS4 – for example, because they came from overseas. Students who were known to be at independent schools in their last year of KS4 are treated as non-disadvantaged.
Disadvantage measures, and all breakdowns including disadvantage status, cover students in state-funded schools or colleges only.
Disadvantaged students are unevenly represented in 16 to 19 cohorts
At the end of 16-19 study, 22.7% of state-funded students were recorded as being disadvantaged in 2025/26. A higher proportion of disadvantaged students study technical certificates compared to the end of 16 to 19 cohort whereas a lower proportion of disadvantaged students study A levels.
In 2025/26, the average point scores (APS) for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students have increased slightly compared to last year for each of the A level, applied general, and tech level cohorts.
Gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students have narrowed slightly in comparison to last year for the A level, applied general, and tech level cohorts
The A level and tech level disadvantage gaps have both narrowed by 0.3pts compared to last year to 4.3pts and 2.7pts, respectively. The applied general cohort disadvantage gap has also slightly decreased by 0.1pts from last year, now at 2.0pts. The disadvantage gap for the T level cohort sits at 1.3pts.
Disadvantaged students also have lower retention rates
The most recent retention data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 retention figures will be released in March 2027 (opens in new tab).
To get a fuller picture on the impact of disadvantaged status, this attainment data should be looked at in conjunction with data on retention rates (the percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider). In 2024/25, 93.5% of non-disadvantaged A level students were retained and assessed compared to 86.2% of disadvantaged students. Students can only be included in the APS measure if they are entered for examination i.e. if they are retained and assessed.
Results by ethnicity
Students are unevenly represented by ethnicity in 16 to 19 cohorts
Students continue to be unevenly distributed across exam cohorts when results are broken down by ethnicity. A higher proportion of Asian / Asian British groups study A level and applied general when compared to the overall end of 16 to 19 study cohort. White students have a higher proportion of students studying technical certificates than the overall end of 16 to 19 cohort.
White students attained the highest average points score (APS) within the A level and T level cohorts in 2025/26
At A level, most ethnicities had broadly similar attainment except for Black / African / Caribbean / Black British students, which had an average points score (APS) at least 1.8pts lower than that of any other major ethnic group. White students achieved the highest APS, 3.4pts higher than that of Black / African / Caribbean / Black British students.
The rank order of attainment by ethnicity has remained unchanged at A level for the past five years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to the grading processes.
White students also achieved the highest APS in the T level cohort, at 38.2pts
Asian / Asian British students achieved the highest APS within the applied general and tech level cohorts (31.1pts and 29.8pts respectively).
The proportion of disadvantaged students varies greatly across the major ethnicity groups
At A level, 9.7% of White students, 17.8% of Asian / Asian British students, 19.7% of Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups students, 32.6% of Black / African / Caribbean / Black British students, and 34.4% of ‘Other ethnic group’ students had disadvantage status. There has been a small decrease in the proportions of disadvantage students this year across all major ethnic groups.
At T level, 18.5% of White students, 26.7% of Asian / Asian British students, 32.6% of Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups students, 35.1% of Black / African / Caribbean / Black British students, and 41.8% of ‘Other ethnic group’ students had disadvantage status. This is the same rank order as the A level cohort and broadly similar proportions to other VTQ cohorts.
Across all level 3 cohorts, non-disadvantaged students attained a higher APS than disadvantaged students across all ethnicity groups, with the exception of ‘Other ethnic group’ tech level students.
At A level, the disadvantaged gap is largest for students from the White ethnic group (4.8pts) and smallest for students from the Black / African / Caribbean / Black British ethnic group (1.7pts). This latter result is driven primarily by the APS for non-disadvantaged Black / African / Caribbean / Black British students falling below the level achieved by their peers in other ethnic groups. Broadly, disadvantage attainment gaps by major ethnicity groups have been closing in recent years.
White ethnic group students also have the largest disadvantage gap in the T level cohort (1.3pts), and the smallest gap for ‘Other ethnic group’ students (0.0pts).
White students also have lower retention rates
The most recent retention data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 retention figures will be released in March 2027 (opens in new tab).
To get a fuller picture on the impact of ethnicity, this attainment data should be looked at in conjunction with data on retention rates (the percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider). In 2024/25, 91.6% of White A level students were retained and assessed compared to an average across all students of 92.5%. The Asian / Asian British group had the highest retained and assessed rate at A level at 95.3%.
Results by sex
Female students perform better than male students within the A level , T level, and applied general cohorts
Within the A level and applied general cohort, female students continue to achieve higher average point scores (APS) compared to male students, as has been the trend for the past six years. For A level students, the gap has decreased in comparison to last year, with a difference of 0.6pts in favour of females from 0.9pts. For applied general students the gap is slightly narrower, falling from 2.4pts last year to 2.3pts this year.
For the T level cohort, female students also achieve higher point scores than male students, with a gap of 3.6pts.
For the third consecutive year, the attainment gap between female and male tech level students is in favour of male students. The gap has narrowed slightly to 0.2pts in favour of males from 0.5pts last year.
Retention rates for female and male students are roughly equal
The most recent retention data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 retention figures will be released in March 2027 (opens in new tab).
In 2024/25, the gap in retained and assessed rates between female and male students is largest for applied general students, at 1.1ppts in favour of female students. At A level, the gap is 0.2ppts in favour of female students. For tech level students, the gap is to 0.7ppts in favour of male students.
Results by SEN provision
Special Educational Needs (SEN) students are unevenly represented in 16 to 19 cohorts
At the end of 16-19 study, 13.6% of students were recorded as having some identified SEN in 2025/26. SEN students continue to be more represented in the technical certificate cohort and less represented in the A level cohort. 21.9% of technical certificate students have an Education, health and care (EHC) plan or SEN support / SEN without an EHC plan in place. The same is true for 5.6% of A level students.
In 2025/26, the A level average points score (APS) has risen by 0.7pts to 34.2pts for students with an EHC plan compared with 2024/25, while the APS has fallen by 0.1pts to 33.7pts for students with SEN support / SEN without an EHC plan. Students with no SEN provision have also seen an increase in APS by 0.1pts to 35.2.
For T level students, the APS for those with an EHC plan is 37.2pts compared to 36.8pts for those with SEN support / SEN without an EHC plan. T level students with no SEN provision have an APS of 38.0pts.
SEN students have slightly lower retention rates in academic cohorts
The most recent retention data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 retention figures will be released in March 2027 (opens in new tab).
In 2024/25, 89.4% of A level students with SEN support were retained and assessed, compared to 88.1% of students with an EHC plan or statement of SEN. For applied general students, 81.9% of students with an EHC plan or statement of SEN were retained and assessed compared to 80.5% of students with SEN support. Similarly for tech level students, 79.5% of students with an EHC plan or statement of SEN were retained and assessed compared to 75.6% of students with SEN support.
92.7% of A level students with no identified SEN were retained and assessed, compared to 83.1% and 77.6% of applied general and tech level students, respectively.
Results by region
Average point score varies widely across local authorities
At regional level, London (36.5pts) has consistently achieved the highest average point scores (APS) within the A level cohort for the past 3 years. The lowest APS is seen in the East Midlands (33.2pts). The A level regional attainment gap has been growing over the past five years. All regions have seen a rise in A level APS this year compared to last year, except the East Midlands, which has fallen by 0.2pts from last year. The largest rise in APS compared to last year is seen in Yorkshire and The Humber, at 0.4pts.
The region with the highest T level APS is the West Midlands (39.1pts) and the lowest is seen in London at (37.0pts). Users should exercise caution when comparing T level attainment across geographic boundaries as T levels are still in the roll out phase and pathway uptake varies between regions.
The North West (32.1pts) and the South West (30.8pts) continue to have the highest average attainment for the applied general and tech level cohorts, respectively. For the applied general cohort, the APS has increased across all regions compared to last year except for the North East which has fallen by 0.2pts. The largest increase is seen in the South West with a rise of 1.1pts compared to 2024/25. The APS for the tech level cohort has increased across all regions except for the East Midlands which has fallen by 0.7pts. The North East saw the largest increase in APS at 1.6pts.
These regional aggregations, however, mask much more varied APS at the level of local authorities. For this reason, users should exercise caution when making geographical generalisations.
Retention rates also vary by region
The most recent retention data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 retention figures will be released in March 2027 (opens in new tab).
In 2024/25, the highest retained and assessed rate was in London at 94.5% for A level, compared to a low of 89.2% in the North East. For applied general students, a high of 84.8% in the West Midlands compared to a low of 79.8% in the North East. For tech level students, a high of 80.5% in London compared to a low of 72.6% in the North East.
Results by other student characteristics
Breakdowns of other student characteristics such as prior attainment, institution type, first language, free school meals status, and detailed ethnicity and SEN breakdowns, including these broken down further by disadvantage status, are available in the create your own tables sections of this statistical release: Create your own tables, Table Tool – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
English and maths progress measure
Since August 2014, students on 16-19 study programmes of 150 hours or more who do not hold a GCSE grade 9-4 (or equivalent qualification) in English and/or maths, are required to study these subjects under Condition of Funding rules.
Progress cohort sizes are expected to increase and outcomes are expected to improve in 2025/26.
The English and maths progress measures are based largely on students completing three years of 16-19 study. The majority of the 2024/25 cohort completed KS4 in 2021/22, when grading was set to midway between CAG/TAG and pre-pandemic standards (midpoint grading), resulting in higher KS4 English and math attainment. Therefore, in 2024/25 the progress measure cohort was smaller in size and progress lower, reflecting higher prior attainment at KS4. English and maths progress in 2025/26 are therefore expected to increase and consist of a larger cohort, as KS4 assessment grading in 2022/23 returned to pre-pandemic standards.
In 2025/26, 83.5% of students entered an approved English qualification, an increase of 2.4ppts compared to last year, and 83.6% of students entered an approved maths qualification, an increase of 1.3ppts. Of these students, the proportion improving their grade was higher in English (42.8%) than in maths (35.2%). Compared with last year, these proportions have increased by 4.0ppts for English and 1.9ppts for maths. This year the grade of 27.2% English students and 34.0% maths students remained the same. 13.6% of English students and 14.4% of maths students scored lower.
23.7% of English progress students achieve a grade 4 or above, up 1.3ppts from last year. The same is true for 19.9% of maths students, up 1.6ppts from last year.
Disadvantage status
A higher proportion of non-disadvantaged students enter an approved English or maths qualification compared to disadvantaged students. The average progress of disadvantaged students was generally lower than non-disadvantaged students too, with disadvantaged students studying English achieving an average of 0.14pts progress and those studying maths achieving an average of -0.01pts progress.
Institution type
Of the major institution types, most students in scope for the measure are studying at ‘Other FE sector colleges’, with 93.1% of English students studying at these providers and 89.5% of maths students. The proportion of students studying an approved English or maths qualification is highest at Sixth form colleges (89.7% and 89.9% for English and Maths respectively) and lowest at ‘All independent schools’ (41.8% and 48.3% for English and Maths respectively).
Sixth form colleges have the highest average progress in both English (0.55pts) and maths (0.34pts). Students in Sixth form colleges also have the highest average prior points for both English (2.61pts) and maths (2.45pts).
Results for Multi Academy Trusts (MATs)
This section focuses on the attainment of students who attended schools that were in multi-academy trusts (MATs) in England. Further information on MATs can be found in the equivalent Key stage 2 attainment and Key stage 4 performance statistical releases.
The most recent MAT attainment data available is for 2024/25 - an update to this statistical release with 2025/26 attainment figures will be released in February 2027 (opens in new tab).
Background
Multi-academy trusts (MATs) can comprise converter academies, sponsored academies, free schools, studio schools, and/or university technical colleges (UTCs):
- Converter academies are largely high performing schools that have chosen to convert to academy status.
- Sponsored academies were deemed by the Department for Education to be under-performing and were required to join a trust to improve their performance.
- Free schools, studio schools and UTCs are brand new academies with no predecessor school. Studio schools and UTCs typically start educating pupils at age 14, and provide a specialist technical and professional education.
Due to the different historic performance of schools that become sponsored or converter academies and those which remain LA maintained, simple comparisons between the whole MAT sector and other state-funded schools and colleges will not be meaningful and are not made in this publication.
Further, caution should be taken when comparing national MAT statistics across years as the composition of the academies and MATs included continues to vary, as the sector matures.
The measures cover state-funded mainstream schools and colleges within MATs only. Special schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision academies and alternative provision free schools are not included.
Eligibility Criteria
In MAT performance tables data, accountability measures are only produced at 16 to 19 for MATs:
- that have at least three academies, with results at 16 to 19 in a particular cohort, and
- where those academies have been with the MAT for at least three academic years (defined as having joined that MAT before 12 September 2022 for the academic year 2024/25).
We do this so that we include data for MATs that are sufficiently well established to have had time to a) have an impact on the performance of schools within the MAT and b) so that aggregate data tells you more than the individual institution data would.
Number of students and institutions in MATs
Across all MATs in 2024/25, 49,565 academic students in 567 institutions were eligible for reporting, against 83,337 academic students in 710 institutions in ineligible multi academy trusts.
Of those in eligible institutions, 63.1% of academic students were in convertor academies and 24.4% in sponsored academics, with the remainder either as free schools, studio schools, or university technical colleges. For comparison, for those in ineligible institutions, 85.9% of academic students were in convertor academies and only 7.3% in sponsored academies.
Performance tables data for eligible MATs can be found in the Historic accountability data publication.
Results in MATs eligible for reporting performance tables
The academic qualification average point scale is 0-60, applied general is 0-50; within each cohort a difference of 1pt corresponds to 1/10th of a grade.
For students in the academic cohort, the average point score (APS) was higher in converter academies at 35.23pts, compared to 31.56pts in sponsored academies. This is as would be expected given the difference in their historic performance prior to becoming academies.
Free Schools had the highest attainment at 37.18pts. Studio schools and UTCs had the lowest attainment at 29.65pts and 25.28pts respectively. However, note the number of students in Studio Schools and UTCs entering level 3 academic qualifications are low.
For students in the applied general cohort, converter academies and sponsored academies have around the same average point score at 31.10pts and 31.17pts respectively.
Results in MATs ineligible for reporting in performance tables
Attainment outcomes are broadly comparable for eligible and ineligible academies overall (differences consistently within 1pt or 1/10th of a grade for the last 3 years).
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about 16 to 19 performance statistics and data:
Attainment statistics team
Email: Attainment.STATISTICS@education.gov.ukContact name: John Shale
Press office
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone: 020 7783 8300
Public enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Phone: 0370 000 2288
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