The Leader

A-levels 'record plunge' causes clearing frenzy

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Episode notes

Top grades plunge by record 25% as pre-pandemic grading standards return. 2023 A-levels cohort called ‘the unluckiest year’. Approximately 19,000 expected to secure their place through clearing. Our Education Editor Anna Davis examines the drop in top grades this year, and whether the return to pre-pandemic grading came at the right time. In this episode:


  • What does the return to ‘pre-pandemic grading’ mean?
  • Should the change have happened this early?
  • Why Education Minister Gillian Keegan said we need to ‘protect the value’ of grades 
  • Are we expecting a ‘clearing frenzy’?
  • Why next year’s cohort face even tougher exams


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