Students performed better than ever in A-level exams, results showed on Thursday, with more than 8% achieving the new A-star (A*) grade, but many still face a struggle to get into university.
Despite record performances, experts warn that more than 150,000 students could miss out on university despite getting the appropriate grades because of a government cap on places amid a crisis in the system of higher education funding.
The number of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland achieving grades A to E rose 0.1 percentage points to 97.6%, the 28th year in a row the pass rate has risen, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said.
The percentage of grade As rose from 26.7 to 27%, while 8.1% of all papers were awarded the new A* grade, designed to highlight the top performers.
The university admissions service UCAS said more than 660,000 students had applied to start university this autumn, an increase of about 11 percent.
But there are predictions that almost a third will not find a place. Teaching unions said the government had to take action.
"Does the government want to be infamous for casting this generation of students adrift with nowhere to turn?" said Nansi Ellis, head of education policy at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
Universities Minister David Willetts said there were more university places than ever before and that 380,000 students had got confirmed places.
"Of course, university is not the only route into well-paid and fulfilling work," he said. "That is why we are also investing so much in further education and 50,000 extra high-quality apprenticeships."
PERFECT STORM
But the National Union of Students said pupils faced a perfect storm of cuts, a lack of university places and rising unemployment for young people.
"With youth unemployment pushing one million, savage education funding cuts and arbitrary limits on places, the government is at risk of imposing poverty of opportunity on a generation of young people facing a very uncertain future," said NUS president Aaron Porter.
Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, said some students should consider taking a year out.
"My advice for school leavers that feel university is the right route for them, but miss out on a place this year, is to consider getting some broader experience which will help strengthen their application to university next time around.
"Employers do not penalize graduates who have taken a year out before going into higher education; indeed many regard the experience as providing added value," Gilleard said. The JCQ said there had been a rise in the number of students sitting exams in mathematics and science subjects. But while there was an increase in the numbers taking Spanish, there was a fall in those entered for other modern languages.
"With the exception of Spanish, the disastrous decline of students taking a modern foreign language continues," said Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers.
"This is a result of successive governments underestimating how vital possessing a modern foreign language is to Britain's role globally." The figures also showed that more girls than boys were awarded A*s, with students from independent schools proportionately more likely to get top grades.
