5th September 2012 12:34
By Blue Tutors
Top A Level Results Down This Year
There has been a fall in the proportion of A-levels awarded an A or A* grade for the first time in over two decades.
This summer's results show 26.6% of A-level entries achieved the top two grades - down from 27% last year.
Girls have outperformed boys, as usual, in getting A grades but this year boys have stepped ahead in terms of those achieving the highest A* grade.
Most worryingly is that figures for those taking modern languages have dropped again, with French, Spanish and German all in decline.
"There is a crisis here in modern foreign languages," said Andrew Hall, chief executive of exam board AQA.
While Tom Daley managed an A in his Spanish A Level while training for the Olympics, it seems languages are still falling out of fashion.