Students in Northern Ireland have posted record high A-Level results,
out-performing their counterparts in England and Wales, it emerged tonight.
Amid claims that tests were getting easier, numbers awarded A grades increased from 24.6 per cent to 28.1 per cent, outstripping other parts of the UK by more than seven per cent, according to Gavin Boyd, chief executive of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).
The overall pass rate also improved by almost 4 per cent with 96.4 per cent of entrants achieving a grade between A and E.
Despite a continuing gender gap in Northern Ireland, this year's results also confirmed that male students in the North still fare better than both their female and male counterparts in England and Wales.
Mr Boyd said he was delighted by the results and dismissed any suggestion that tests were being "dumbed down".
The statistics released by the CCEA also confirmed that girls continued to outperform boys in Northern Ireland, particularly at the highest level.
At A-Level, 3.5 per cent more girls attained A grades than boys. But in terms of the overall pass rate, boys closed the gap to 1.4 per cent. PA