Pupils are due to celebrate their best A-level results ever with top grades at a record high outside of the Covid years, a report predicts. In addition, it predicts boys will increase their lead over girls in top grades – a trend which began last year. Hundreds of thousands of sixth formers will pick up their grades this Thursday and discover whether they have won a university place. Instead, it said the trend was down to the rising popularity of maths, which produces more A and A* grades than other subjects. This was the highest on record outside of the Pandemic years of 2020-2022, when grades were artificially inflated due to exams being cancelled and teachers deciding marks.