A-level grades go up as uni applications fall

More than one in four A-level students scored an A or A* grade in their results, figures show.

The rise in top marks was the first in six years, and follows major reforms to the A-level system.

But despite the increase in the highest results, the number of students accepted into university this year has fallen.

Early figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that so far 416,310 people have taken up uni places, down 2% compared with the same point last year.