"Two-tier system': record A-level results highlight regional divide

South-east well ahead on top grades as gap in university access widens

- Richard Adams

Pupils achieved their best A-level results in a generation yesterday, with marks that highlighted the growing gap between the strongest and weakest performing parts of the country.

While the national exam grades were among the highest for decades, regional differences showed areas in the north lagging far behind the south-east. Private schools also continued to outperform state schools.

Students in London and the southeast recorded some of the most startling results - more than 30% of their A-level entries were awarded A* or A grades. But for those in the East Midlands top grades crept up by only 0.2 percentage points to 22.5%.

The West Midlands, which had previously been among the worst performing regions, enjoyed an above-average increase in top grades, but still remained far behind London and the south-east with 24.8% of entries gaining A* or A.

The gap between university application rates from London and the north-east of England, which had the lowest application rate, has also widened further. As a result, while well over half of school leavers in London go on to higher education, only one in three do so from the north-east.

Nick Harrison, chief executive of the Sutton Trust, which campaigns to improve access to higher education, said: "Given the challenges of the past few years, it's remarkable that more disadvantaged young people are going on to university.