A-levels back to pre-pandemic results for second year in a row: Exams body says Northern Ireland marks 'stable' as slight improvements to A* and passing grades seen
Northern Ireland’s A-level results are back to pre-pandemic levels for the second year in a row, with the province’s exams body describing this year’s marks as ‘very stable’.
Across the UK today, nervous 18-year-olds have been opening results certificates – some jumping for joy, some worried about what comes next.
Northern Ireland habitually performs best of out the three UK nations that take A-levels; this year was no exception, with around 2% more of pupils here scoring top marks than in England and Wales.
Slight improvements were seen in the number of A* grades won by the province’s pupils, as that category went up by 0.5% compared to the previous year.
And there was also a marginal boost to passing grades at A* to E, which went up by 0.2%.
It means that for 2025, 8.7% achieved at least one A* while 98.7% of exams were passed.
Just over three out of every 10 students got top marks, scoring at least one A* to A grade in their tests.
STEM subjects proved popular, with around one-third of all exam entrants sitting tests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics area.
But foreign languages aren’t doing so well, as less than 3% of exams taken fell into that category. The only language to see an increase in the number of people sitting a test was Irish, which even then was only a very marginal rise.
All other languages fell in demand and German is doing especially poorly as this year, as fewer than 50 people sat an A-level exam in it across the whole of Northern Ireland – a fall of around one-third on the previous year.
Maths remains the most popular subject to study, accounting for one in 10 exams taken. It’s especially appealing to boys, over 14% of whom took the subject this year compared to a little over 7% of girls.
For girls taking A-levels, Health and Social Care topped the poll for the second year in a row, with just under 12% taking the subject compared to 8% of boys signing up to it.
A spokesman for Northern Ireland’s exams body the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) told the News Letter Health and Social Care has been growing in popularity since the Covid pandemic and is now proving to have a consistent appeal.
Overall, the top five most popular subjects remained the same as last year, with Biology, History and Business Studies all charting alongside Mathematics and Health and Social Care.
Gerry Campbell, chief executive of CCEA, said today’s results reflect the “resilience, hard work and growth” of school pupils, adding the province’s 18-year-olds should be “incredibly proud” of what they have achieved.
Addressing pupils directly, he stated: “This marks a significant step in your personal and educational journey, and everyone at CCEA recognises the dedication and effort that brought you to this point.
"To every student receiving results today – well done, and best of luck as you take your next steps, wherever they may lead. The results you received today are stepping stones to your future, whether that be further education, entering the world of work, or something else.”