A report predicts that A-level students could receive a record proportion of top grades this year, excluding the exceptional results seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. This would matter because it may intensify competition for university places and renew debate over grade inflation and the fairness of results.

The article’s headline does not provide the underlying forecast, figures or methodology. It places the expected outcome in the context of the Covid years, when grading arrangements were disrupted and unusually high proportions of pupils received top marks.