Fewer pupils taking GCSE and A-levels exams next year are to be awarded top grades.

Next summer’s exams are set to be treated as “a transition year” with grade boundaries set at the midpoint between pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and 2021’s record results, according to the Department for Education and exams regulator Ofqual.

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However, students will be offered exam aids and a choice of topics in some exams to provide a "safety net" for students who have missed out on learning during school and college closures.

It comes after the proportion of GCSE and A-level entries awarded the top grades surged to a record high this year after results were determined by teacher assessments.

Former local head Geoff Barton, now general secretary of the ASCL headteachers union, said: “It is a sensible set of measures which should ensure that students are assessed as fairly as possible for A-levels, GCSEs and other important qualifications following the huge educational disruption caused by the pandemic.”