Boys have outperformed girls in top A-level grades for the first time in seven years, exam results show.
Overall, 28.4% of boys’ A-level entries scored an A* or A this summer, compared to 28.2% of their female classmates’ – a gap of 0.2 percentage points.
The last time boys had a lead was in 2018.
Last year, girls were ahead with 28.0% of entries scoring at least an A, compared to 27.6% of those from boys, according to figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
Exam bosses acknowledged the swing towards boys but said the difference between the sexes is “pretty small”.
There are more A-level entries overall from girls than boys, the figures show, with females making up 54% of all entries.
Claire Thomson, executive director of regulation and compliance at the AQA exam board, said that while the percentage of girls achieving A*-A grades is lower this year than their male counterparts, overall, nearly 19,000 more females achieved at least an A due to more girls entering for A-levels in general.
She said: “It is important not to speculate too much about what has led to any differences between males and females as the figures are small, they do bounce around a bit over time and the causes will be multi-faceted and complex.”
A breakdown by subject shows there is still a clear gender divide in some subjects, such as maths, where nearly two-thirds (63%) of entries are from boys.
Richard Harry, executive director of qualifications and assessment at WJEC exam board, said maths is a “significant contributor” to high A-level grades overall, but added it is “difficult to pin that small shift in outcomes at A*-A on any one particular subject.”
Overall, 16.7% of all maths entries scored an A* this year, compared to 9.4% of entries for all A-levels.
Interest in maths A-level has soared in the last decade, with the number of entries up more than a fifth (21.7%) since 2016.
Mr Harry said: “I think on the gender gap for maths it’s really important to note a positive increase – nearly 5% in entries for females taking maths.”
He added that, given the general continuing interest in the subject, it is “inevitable” that the gap between the sexes will remain to some extent.
Jill Duffy, chairwoman of the JCQ board of directors and chief executive of the OCR exam board, said there has been movement in other science and maths-based subjects, such as in A-level chemistry, which is taken by more girls than boys.
There has been a significant push in recent years from both government and industry to encourage girls to take science and maths subjects.
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, told the PA news agency: “We know that maths A-level has the most direct and demonstrable correlation with future earnings prospects and therefore future contribution to the economy.
“So I think what we should be doing is celebrating the rise in entry to maths A-level, the rise in the number of young people reaching those exceptional standards of mathematical knowledge and skill in maths A-level. That is a good thing.
“Because these subjects do correlate with enhanced employment prospects, career prospects and earning potential, I think it should be a challenge to us all to ensure that access to the high grades at those A-levels, which is obviously conditioned at least in part by entry, is available equally to male and female students.
“And we do across these A-levels see some quite stark differences between male and female entry, and I think as a system, as educators, more broadly speaking, we should all be focused on ensuring that girls, as well as boys, access these important A-levels and do well at them.”
