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10 September 2026

A-level results 2026: Which subjects had the most top grades?

Psychology sees the largest rise in top grades achieved this year, while business studies sees biggest fall
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Psychology saw the largest increase in top grades among the most popular A-level subjects this year.

Four out of the top ten most popular subjects saw rises in the number of As and above awarded this year, while six saw falls of between 0.4 and 3.1 per cent.

Psychology saw the largest rise, with a 3.6 per cent increase in As and above between 2025 and 2026. This was followed by maths, which saw a 2.2 per cent rise, economics with a 1.7 per cent rise and physics with a 0.9 per cent rise.

Business studies saw the biggest fall in top grades, of 3.1 per cent. Art and design subjects, which saw the largest increases in top grades last year, saw a drop of 0.6 per cent.

Here’s what the distribution of top grades looks like among the most popular subjects, and how they differ from last year

Here’s the full breakdown of the most popular subject results published by the Joint Council for Qualifications this morning

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