Students who leave post-16 education with low A level grades

In England, A levels are the most popular qualification taken by students post-16. They can lead to further study, university, training, or work. Students usually take three or more A levels over two years. However, not all A level students achieve good grades. For example, in 2024, 6.9% of all A levels were graded E and a further 14.2% were graded D.

In this webinar we will help answer the question: What happens to students who leave education with low A level grades? Are their opportunities for progression different from those of students with better grades (for example, those with grades C or above)? Do they have good progression outcomes and/or good labour market returns (i.e., earnings)?

Using data from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset, which connects individuals’ education with their employment and earnings, researchers Carmen Vidal Rodeiro & Tim Gill sought to understand the education, training and employment destinations, as well as the labour marker outcomes of students who leave post-16 education with grades which might be considered to have little currency (grades D or E) in their A level qualifications. As the destinations of young people depend, not only on their school qualifications, but also on their individual characteristics (e.g., gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity), this research also considered students’ backgrounds when investigating progression and earnings.

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