Average score for students taking A levels and other qualifications
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- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity (all level 3 qualifications) section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity (A level students only) section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity (applied general students only) section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity (tech level students only) section
- 7. Navigate toData sources section
- 8. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- in the 2018 to 2019 school year, the average point score for all students taking level 3 qualifications (including A levels) was 33.42
- students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest overall average point score out of all ethnic groups (37.98), and the highest score in every type of level 3 qualification
- out of the 6 aggregated ethnic groups, Black A level students had the lowest average point score (28.91)
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the average point score and equivalent grade for students taking level 3 qualifications (including A levels) in the 2018 to 2019 school year, by ethnicity.
Level 3 qualifications are usually taken by 16 to 18 year olds, and are equal to A levels in difficulty.
The number of points depends on the qualification and grade. For example, an A* at A level is worth 60 points, and a C is worth 30 points. You can see a list of all point scores.
Average point scores are rounded to 2 decimal places. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
How average point scores are calculated
The average point score is worked out by dividing the total point score by the total number of entries. An entry is one qualification taken by one student.
The ethnic groups used in the data
This data uses the ethnic groups from the 2001 Census, with 2 exceptions:
- Traveller of Irish Heritage, and Gypsy and Roma students are in 2 separate categories
- the Chinese ethnic group has its own category, rather than being part of the Asian ethnic group
Ethnicity was not known for 15.6% of students. This is mainly due to students attending independent (non-state) schools not having their ethnicity recorded in the school census.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data.
In the data file
See Download file for figures for:
- students whose ethnicity wasn’t known
- academic qualifications, including the International Baccalaureate
3. By ethnicity (all level 3 qualifications)
| Ethnicity | Average Point Score | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|
| All | 33.42 | 329,815 |
| Asian | 31.29 | 36,563 |
| Bangladeshi | 30.29 | 6,307 |
| Indian | 33.69 | 11,155 |
| Pakistani | 29.32 | 12,635 |
| Asian other | 31.69 | 6,466 |
| Black | 28.74 | 16,907 |
| Black African | 28.98 | 11,923 |
| Black Caribbean | 27.89 | 3,192 |
| Black other | 28.59 | 1,792 |
| Chinese | 37.98 | 1,791 |
| Mixed | 32.47 | 12,976 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 34.68 | 3,322 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 31.06 | 1,600 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 29.98 | 2,997 |
| Mixed other | 32.81 | 5,057 |
| White | 32.65 | 204,984 |
| White British | 32.65 | 189,881 |
| White Irish | 34.22 | 1,111 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 28.58 | 87 |
| Irish Traveller | 23.47 | 16 |
| White other | 32.57 | 13,889 |
| Other | 31.32 | 5,200 |
| Unknown | 39.39 | 51,394 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (all level 3 qualifications)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (all level 3 qualifications)’ (CSV)
Summary of Average score for students taking A levels and other qualifications By ethnicity (all level 3 qualifications) Summary
The data shows that, in the 2018 to 2019 school year:
- the average point score for all students taking level 3 qualifications was 33.42
- students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest overall average point score (37.98) out of all ethnic groups
- White Irish Traveller students had the lowest average point score (23.47), but generalisations are not reliable as the score is based on 16 students’ results
- Black Caribbean students had the lowest average point score (27.89) (excluding White Irish Traveller students)
- the average point score for White British students (32.65) was below the national average
- the average point scores for Indian students (33.69), Mixed White and Asian students (34.68), and White Irish students (34.22) were above the national average
- ethnicity wasn’t known for 15.8% of all level 3 students – this group had an average point score of 39.39, the highest score out of all groups
4. By ethnicity (A level students only)
| Ethnicity | Average Point Score | Grade | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 34.01 | C+ | 283,532 |
| Asian | 31.64 | C | 31,468 |
| Bangladeshi | 30.38 | C | 5,328 |
| Indian | 34.16 | C+ | 10,083 |
| Pakistani | 29.45 | C | 10,301 |
| Asian other | 32.02 | C+ | 5,756 |
| Black | 28.91 | C | 13,889 |
| Black African | 29.15 | C | 9,896 |
| Black Caribbean | 27.88 | C- | 2,523 |
| Black other | 28.95 | C | 1,470 |
| Chinese | 38.42 | B | 1,676 |
| Mixed | 33.09 | C+ | 11,305 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 35.36 | B- | 2,999 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 31.52 | C | 1,381 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 30.44 | C | 2,473 |
| Mixed other | 33.36 | C+ | 4,452 |
| White | 33.37 | C+ | 174,015 |
| White British | 33.38 | C+ | 160,792 |
| White Irish | 34.94 | C+ | 1,007 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 29.32 | C | 57 |
| Irish Traveller | 21.61 | D | 11 |
| White other | 33.23 | C+ | 12,148 |
| Other | 31.73 | C+ | 4,494 |
| Unknown | 39.41 | B | 46,685 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (A level students only)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (A level students only)’ (CSV)
Summary of Average score for students taking A levels and other qualifications By ethnicity (A level students only) Summary
In the 2018 to 2019 school year, 86.0% of level 3 students took A levels.
The data shows that:
- the average point score for all A level students was 34.01 (equivalent to grade C+)
- students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest average point score out of all ethnic groups (38.42 – equivalent to grade B)
- White Irish Traveller students had the lowest average point score (21.61 – equivalent to grade D) – but generalisations are not reliable as the score is based on 11 students’ results
- students from the Black Caribbean ethnic groups had the lowest average point score, excluding White Irish Traveller students (27.88 – equivalent to grade C-)
- even though several groups had an average point score equivalent to a grade C+, the score for White British students (33.38) was below the national average while the scores for students from the Indian (34.16) and White Irish (34.94) groups were above the national average
- the ethnicity wasn’t known for 16.5% of A level students – this group had an average point score of 39.41 (equivalent to grade B), the highest score out of all groups
5. By ethnicity (applied general students only)
| Ethnicity | Average Point Score | Grade | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 28.91 | Merit+ | 68,772 |
| Asian | 29.09 | Merit+ | 8,706 |
| Bangladeshi | 29.85 | Merit+ | 1,629 |
| Indian | 29.69 | Merit+ | 2,263 |
| Pakistani | 28.43 | Merit+ | 3,536 |
| Asian other | 28.93 | Merit+ | 1,278 |
| Black | 27.27 | Merit+ | 4,879 |
| Black African | 27.22 | Merit+ | 3,429 |
| Black Caribbean | 27.56 | Merit+ | 960 |
| Black other | 27.08 | Merit+ | 490 |
| Chinese | 30.19 | Dist- | 195 |
| Mixed | 28.24 | Merit+ | 2,664 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 27.65 | Merit+ | 538 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 28.32 | Merit+ | 357 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 27.81 | Merit+ | 757 |
| Mixed other | 28.84 | Merit+ | 1,012 |
| White | 29.04 | Merit+ | 47,371 |
| White British | 29.09 | Merit+ | 44,086 |
| White Irish | 28.95 | Merit+ | 178 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 26.57 | Merit | 38 |
| Irish Traveller | 28.00 | Merit+ | 7 |
| White other | 28.39 | Merit+ | 3,062 |
| Other | 29.13 | Merit+ | 1,198 |
| Unknown | 29.60 | Merit+ | 3,759 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (applied general students only)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (applied general students only)’ (CSV)
Summary of Average score for students taking A levels and other qualifications By ethnicity (applied general students only) Summary
In the 2018 to 2019 school year, 20.9% of level 3 students took applied general qualifications.
The data shows that:
- the average point score for all students taking applied general qualifications was 28.91 (equivalent to Merit+)
- students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest average point score out of all ethnic groups (30.19 – equivalent to Distinction-)
- White Gypsy and Roma students had the lowest average point score (26.57 – equivalent to grade Merit), but there were only 38 students in this group so any generalisations are not reliable
- students from the Other Black (27.08 – equivalent to Merit +) and Black African (27.22 – equivalent to Merit +) ethnic groups had the lowest average point scores (excluding White Gypsy and Roma students)
- the average point score of White British students (29.09 – equivalent to Merit+) was above the national average
6. By ethnicity (tech level students only)
| Ethnicity | Average Point Score | Grade | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 28.64 | Merit+ | 19,485 |
| Asian | 29.12 | Merit+ | 1,626 |
| Bangladeshi | 28.95 | Merit+ | 267 |
| Indian | 29.82 | Merit+ | 363 |
| Pakistani | 29.27 | Merit+ | 788 |
| Asian other | 27.60 | Merit+ | 208 |
| Black | 28.06 | Merit+ | 803 |
| Black African | 27.95 | Merit+ | 506 |
| Black Caribbean | 28.63 | Merit+ | 215 |
| Black other | 27.09 | Merit+ | 82 |
| Chinese | 30.64 | Dist- | 45 |
| Mixed | 27.57 | Merit+ | 579 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 27.84 | Merit+ | 113 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 26.87 | Merit+ | 72 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 27.75 | Merit+ | 182 |
| Mixed other | 27.51 | Merit+ | 212 |
| White | 28.61 | Merit+ | 15,341 |
| White British | 28.65 | Merit+ | 14,619 |
| White Irish | 24.74 | Merit | 40 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 29.89 | Merit+ | 12 |
| Irish Traveller | N/A* | N/A* | 0 |
| White other | 27.83 | Merit+ | 670 |
| Other | 28.72 | Merit+ | 215 |
| Unknown | 29.52 | Merit+ | 876 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (tech level students only)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (tech level students only)’ (CSV)
Summary of Average score for students taking A levels and other qualifications By ethnicity (tech level students only) Summary
In the 2018 to 2019 school year, 5.9% of level 3 students took tech level qualifications.
The data shows that:
- the average point score for all students taking tech level qualifications was 28.64 (equivalent to Merit+)
- students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest average point score out of all ethnic groups (30.64 – equivalent to Distinction-) but there were only 45 students in this group so any generalisations are not reliable
- White Irish students had the lowest average point score (24.74 – equivalent to Merit) but there were only 40 students in this group so any generalisations are unreliable
- the average point score of White British students (28.65 – equivalent to Merit+) was similar to the national average
7. Data sources
Source
A level and other 16 to 18 results: 2018 to 2019 (revised)
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The main purpose of this data is to measure schools/colleges' and students' performance, to monitor and improve standards and inform parental and student choice.
8. Download the data
Measure, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, Time, Time_type, Geography, Geography_type, Age, Value, Value_type, APS as a grade, Number of students