2021 A Level Results, Thailand

Students at international schools in Thailand receive their A Level results today after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row.

At Brighton College (Bangkok), 97% of its first ever A Level cohort achieved A*-A grades.

Bangkok International Prep and Secondary School announced its best A Level results in the school's history, "in spite of all the challenges faced by students this year". In a cohort of 66 students, 55% of grades were A*-A, and 76% of grades were A*-B. The value added attainment was also at its highest level ever: +0.99 - meaning that, on average, every grade received was a grade higher than expected.

At Rugby School, Thailand, the Class of 2021 received a 100% pass rate, with 79% achieving A*/B grades and 32% receiving straight A* grades. The cohort have secured university places in Thailand and also abroad, including: Toronto, Sussex, Glasgow, Warwick, Manchester Cardiff and St Andrew’s. 

Lee May, Head of Sixth Form, said:

“A university place is not an outcome, but a step on the journey. We want Rugby School Thailand students to be ready to make the most of university life as soon as they arrive. This is why our Sixth Form focuses on career outcomes beyond university, too.

"We place importance on developing character, producing rounded and confident individuals who are able to persevere through challenges. The rigorous academic side of life here is balanced with a variety of activities, from sport to house competitions and charity fundraising, to mention a very few. The whole person really is the whole point."

At Shrewsbury International School Bangkok, 86% of students achieved A*-A grades. The school said:

"A very special Congratulations to each and every one of our committed and talented Year 13 students. In a year of such unprecedented challenge, we commend the dedication and applaud the journey that our students have made to achieve such remarkable success this year."

Once again, A Level exams this year were cancelled due to Covid-19, and students have been awarded results based solely on Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs); these are based on mock exams, coursework, or other work completed as part of a student’s course, such as essays or in-class tests. The UK government hoped to avoid last year's controversy when students were initially awarded calculated grades based on an algorithm. In a major government U-turn, these grades were withdrawn, and all students were issued Centre Assessment Grades (CAGs) based on teacher assessments.

There’s more than 25 of Thailand's 150-plus international and private schools that offer AGCE/International A Levels, with 19 schools following the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at college level instead.

Results roundup

A Level results have reached an all-time high with nearly 45% of this year's entries being awarded an A* or A. This follows a second year of disruption due to Covid-19, where students have received A Level results awarded by teacher assessment rather than national exams.

Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show that:

• The number of A* and A grades has risen to a record-breaking high
• More than two in five (44.8%) of entries were awarded an A* or A grade; this is an increase of 6.3% from 2020 when 38.5% achieved the top grades
• The number of A* grades this year has surged to 19.1%, the highest figure since the top grade was first introduced in 2010
• 88.2% entries were A*-C grades, a small rise compared with 87.5% in 2020
• The pass rate was 99.5% (A*-E), slightly lower than 99.7% last year

UK results: facts and figures

Students studied 40 different A/AS Level subjects, and the most popular A Level subjects this year were maths, psychology, biology and chemistry. The largest number of entries was for A Level maths and further maths, taken by a total of 104,858 students, compared with 101,390 in 2020 and 98,695 in 2019.

There has been a sizeable increase in the number of students taking geography (16.8%), law (15.4%), computing (11.3%) and psychology (9.2%). There has been a slight decrease in the number of students taking design and technology (5.8%), German (4.9%), English literature (4.6%), media studies (3.5%) and English language (3.4%).

Spanish continues to be the most popular A Level in modern foreign languages, with 8,433 entries, followed by French and German.

Across the UK, 39,734 results were issued for the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), an independent research project.

Girls received more top grades than boys overall. 19.7% of girls were awarded A*, compared with 18.4% for boys, and the rate of A*-A grades was 46.4% for girls and 41.7% for boys. This reverses the gender gap of 2019 when more boys were outperforming girls. Girls also overtook boys for the first time in maths, with 29.1% achieving A* grades compared to 28.5% of male students.

In England, London and the South East were the top performing regions, with 47% of entries being  graded A*-A. The North East had the lowest number of A*-A grades with 39% (up from 35.6% in 2020).

As well as A Level results being released earlier this year, today is the first time that all AS and A Level, some vocational qualifications, Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, and Welsh Baccalaureate grades have been released on the same day; GCSE results will be published on Thursday (August 12).

University places

Just under 400,000 students have a confirmed place at their first-choice of full-time undergraduate course at a UK university.

The GCE Advanced Level or International A Level is a secondary school leaving qualification in the UK and an international school qualification worldwide. Students normally sit three A Levels, but some sit four, and others as few as two.

Used by University and College admissions services around the world, A Levels remain one of the most widely recognised pre-university and college entry examinations. More universities are already considering setting their own entrance exams in the coming years due to the ongoing concerns about the accuracy of A Level results.

Leading universities could be forced to set their own tests to help them distinguish between the many prospective students awarded straight As, given the lack of an objective measure by which to judge the academic ability of school-leavers.

The government has said that all UK universities can now return to full face-to-face teaching after two years of disruption and campus closures. While universities are autonomous, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has suggested that universities that do not go back to in-person lectures and seminars should not charge full tuition fees.

Speaking on Sky News today (August 10), Mr Williamson said:

"I think if universities are not delivering what students expect, then actually they shouldn't be charging the full fees."

2021 A Level results: reaction

UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said that students getting their A Level results today 'deserve' the grades they get.

"Students have worked very hard in what has been an extraordinary and challenging year, and each and every one of them should feel incredibly proud of their achievements. We should all celebrate their resilience and ability to overcome adversity.

Teachers and staff have ensured that, despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, all students are able to get grades this year and so can take their next steps and make their choices about further study or entering the workplace."

2021 IB results

This year, the IB Diploma Programme's dual route option of exam or non-examined assessments saw a rise in pass rates, average scores, and top scorers. The average IBDP score for the May 2021 session was 32.99 points, up from 31.34 in May 2020 and 29.62 in 2019. While this year’s A Level results are based solely on Teacher Assessed Grades, the IB results are based partially on assessments that were marked by IB Examiners.

Read more: Thailand's May 2021 IB Results

A Level league tables

For the second year running, the UK’s Department for Education (DfE) will not be publishing league tables for secondary qualifications. The most recent league tables for all UK state and independent schools are based on 2019 results.

However, the DfE has already announced that results from GCSE and A Level qualifications in 2021-22 will be published in school and college performance tables. This is because “after two years without publication of performance data, it is important that this information is publicly available to parents and students to support them when choosing schools and post-16 institutions, given the importance of qualification outcomes to student progression”.

A Level resits and appeals

A Level students who are unhappy with their Teacher Assessed Grades can appeal their grades or retake A Level exams in the same subject in autumn 2021.

Read more: GCSE, A Level Results Day 2021: Need to Know

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com will be compiling the results sent to us, so please bookmark this article and keep coming back during the day. We wish all the students of Thailand well today. Whatever your grade, you are amazing, and today is just the start of something big and new...