A-level results day 2021: Recap the updates and reaction as students in Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Waterlooville collected grades
There were plenty of smiles and sighs of relief as students found out what grades they have achieved this morning.
Once again exams have been cancelled due to the on-going Covid pandemic and the results are based on teacher assessments – drawing on a range of evidence, including mock exams, coursework and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards.
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Results day has also been moved slightly earlier in 2021, taking place on a Tuesday instead of the normal Thursday in mid-August slot, with GCSE’s being collected then instead.
Ofqual interim chief regulator Simon Lebus told the BBC that pupils in England awaiting their A-level and GCSE results can “feel satisfied” that their grades are fair this summer.
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Hide AdHe said there have been three stages of checks to ensure students can feel they have been “fairly treated”, including Ofqual checking the policies that schools have for awarding grades and exam boards looking over them.
Our reporters and photographers will be out at colleges and sixth forms in Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham this morning to speak to teachers and students.
Follow our live updates in our blog below throughout the day!
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Recap updates from A-Level results day in Portsmouth and Hampshire
Key Events
- Students collecting grades
- A-level grades surge to record high
- Record number of students accepted on to degree courses
Portsmouth High School student gets 3 A*s
Ella Gillett at Portsmouth High School got three A* in her results!
Congratulations Ella!
Pictures: Habibur Rahman
More successful results at Portsmouth High School
It was happy days for Amelia Spencer, 18, at Portsmouth High School
Tears of happiness at Bay House in Gosport
Beth Tomkins and tutor Zoe Bruink. Picture: Matthew Clark
There was tears of happiness for Beth Tomkins, 18, who received grades A, B and C in English literature, history and politics after a difficult year. ‘I can’t stop crying, I was expecting three B grades so to get an A was amazing,’ she said.
‘It’s been an awful year after we lost a student and friend in January. My mental health was low after that but the school has been so supportive.
‘That network has got me through.’
Beth’s tutor Zoe Brunink said: ‘We’re very proud of the resilience Beth has shown and to deal with everything thrown at her during this challenging time.’
A-level grades surge to record high after exams cancelled for second year
The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19.
Hundreds of thousands of students have been given grades determined by teachers, rather than exams, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Girls performed better than boys at the top grades, and female maths students overtook boys for the first time in the number of A* grades achieved, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show.
In total, more than two in five (44.8%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer – up by 6.3 percentage points on last year when 38.5% achieved the top grades.
Overall, the proportion of entries awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 19.1% – the highest proportion since the top grade was first introduced in 2010.
The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Portsmouth High School headmistress ‘very pleased’ with results
Jane Prescott, headmistress of Portsmouth High, said: 'We're very pleased, the results reflect hard work and dedication. It's been hard for them to learn online - we phoned all our pupils every week.
‘It's outstanding - we're so pleased for them. They have showed impressive resilience.'
‘At first I struggled with online learning but then I found it gave me more time in my day'
Alice Snook, 18, has two A*s and two As. She said: 'It's really good - better than I needed. A lot of hard work went into it.
‘At first I struggled with online learning but then I found it gave me more time in my day.'
An avid sailor, Alice works as a dingy instructor and has chosen to go to Exeter to study Law and Business partly because of the sailing facilities.
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