THE proportion of A-Levels scoring the highest grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland rose for the first time in six years, although figures suggest a major government overhaul of exams is having an impact on results.

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Boys emerged as the winners in this summer’s results, pulling ahead of girls in terms of A* to A grades for the first time in almost two decades.

National figures show more than one in four A-Level entries scored an A* or A this summer, up 0.5 percentage points on 2016.

It is the first time the A* to A pass rate has risen since 2011.

While the A* to A pass rate has risen, there has been a drop in top results among the first 13 subjects to be overhauled in England , statistics from the Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) show.

The 13 reformed subjects are art and design, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, economics, English language, English language and literature, English literature, history, physics, psychology and sociology.

Alex Scharaschkin, director of research at AQA, said students will not have been disadvantaged by taking the new-style exams.

He said:”We’ve been clear and very careful to make sure that the results are fair, so there has been no advantage or disadvantage from something you cannot control, the year you were born.”

“In terms of your A-level results they will be fair and they will be the right results.”

Exam boards suggested the fall could be influenced by several factors including lower prior attainment for students taking these subjects this year.

Mark Bedlow, OCR’s director of regulation: “The changes and the results we’re seeing in the reformed subjects year on year are not abnormal and can really be ascribed to changes in students’ abilities based on their prior year attainment.

“There may be other factors at play as well.”

Schools minister Nick Gibb said: “There has been a strong uptake in core subjects, such as maths, which continues to be the most popular A-Level.”