The gap in attainment between disadvantaged students and their peers in A levels has narrowed, new data shows.

The Department for Education has published its 2024-25 16-18 performance data, which also shows the average A-level grade remaining at B-, while the average point score (APS) improved slightly.

Here are the some of the key findings within the data.

Disadvantage gap narrows

The disadvantage gap compares the attainment of certain groups of students - including those eligible for free school meals in the past six years or those who have been looked after or adopted from care - with their peers, using their average point score (APS) across different qualifications.

In 2024-25, students from disadvantaged backgrounds slightly reduced the attainment gap at A level, but a notable divide remains.

Disadvantaged students’ APS per A-level entry was 30.99 in 2024-25, and for their more affluent peers the figure was 35.62, meaning the gap stands at 4.6.

The disadvantage gap grew significantly during the Covid pandemic, but today’s figure is the lowest since 2020-21, the earliest date included in the latest data.

There was also a minor improvement in the attainment gap between students taking applied general qualifications and their peers. This gap now stands at 2.1, a reduction of 0.2 points.

The data follows recent research from Professor John Jerrim and Maria Palma Carvajal, of University College London, showing that high-achieving primary pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are much less likely to achieve strong GCSE and A-level results.

In 2025 research by the Teach First charity concluded that disadvantaged students are at least twice as likely to drop out of A levels as to get the top grade in a number of subjects.

Shrinking gender gap

In 2024-25, girls achieved a higher APS than boys at A level, continuing a five-year trend. The data shows girls’ average score was 36.49 compared with 35.62 for boys.

This attainment gap has decreased by 0.3 points compared with 2023-24, falling from 1.2 to 0.9 in 2024-25.

The data also shows that the cohort of students entering Level 3 vocational qualifications has reduced, with significantly fewer entering Tech Level courses.

Entries into Tech Level courses reduced by 9.2 per cent in 2024-25 to 27,013 entries, compared with 30,899 in 2023-24.

In 2024-25, 215,495 students entered applied general qualifications, or AGQs, compared with 222,431 in 2023-24 - a reduction of 3.1 per cent.

The 16-18 performance data follows the release of key stage 4 attainment data last week, which revealed that nearly one in five KS4 students were identified as having SEND in 2024-25.

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