Boy, you've done well! A level gender divide is getting WIDER as girls fall further behind their male rivals in race for A* grades

Number of As or A*s on each paper is 26.3% - down slightly on last year

Boys got 8.1% of all A*s while girls got 7.6% - as the gender gap widened

22% of A* grades were in south-east while only 3% were in north-east

UCAS say that 385,910 people have secured a place at university - a record



Clampdown on 'grade inflation' meant it was harder to get top marks



Thousands call UCAS' premium rate clearing line after getting their grades

Investigation launched after 'slump' in numbers taking foreign languages



UCAS reveal 'criminal and sustained attempt' to crash website last night



The big winners in the battle of the sexes this year were boys.

Male candidates tightened their grip on A*s, with 8 per cent achieving the top grade compared to 7.4 per cent of girls. Last year they were separated by just 0.1 per cent.

Boys also narrowed the gap in combined A* and As with a 0.2 per cent improvement to 26 per cent, while girls slipped half a per cent to 26.6 per cent.

Scroll down for videos

Success: After bumper results at Manchester High School for Girls , Varsha Samuel, who got four A*s, and Pippa Malll who bagged two A* and two A's, are off to Durham and Oxford

Unbridled joy: Withington Independent Girls School pupils Jennifer Flynn (L) celebrates her two A* and three A's exam results with friend Harriet Macleod who achieved 4 A* and 2 A's

Family units: Three sets of twins at Rosset School in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Alex and James (blue) Etherington, Sophie and Emma (purple top) Helsby. Ben (purple shorts) and Sam Longbottom-Smith all look very happy

Shock: Sandra Forbes reacts after receiving better than expected A Level results, at Stoke Newington School, in Stoke Newington, north London

Overall, girls still managed to outperform boys in all subjects except maths, chemistry, Spanish, French and German.

But AQA exam board chief executive Andrew Hall also highlighted growing concern about a ‘very significant widening’ of a gender gap in subjects favoured by either sex.

Four in five physics exams were sat by boys, an increase of four per cent in a year. They also took 60.7 per cent of the maths papers, up 3.9 per cent.

But girls accounted for 74.3 per cent of psychology entries, a rise of 5.2 per cent, and around seven in ten psychology A-levels.

Experts suggested peer pressure might be deterring candidates from taking exams usually associated with the opposite sex.



Identical: Twins Eleanor (left) and Sophie Harrison, 18, celebrate their A-level results at Church High School in Jesmond, Newcastle What a result: - L to R - Charlotte Suttle (four A's); Caitlin Whitby (four A*'s); Jordan Kelly-Linden (three A*'s) and Ashleigh Hyslop (three A's) - collect their A-Levels today Happy family: Sophia Greenstein collects two A* and an A with mother Debbie Greenstein in Manchester this morning They called for ‘stronger guidance’ from parents and teachers and a focus on positive role models. Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ‘We need to try and break those stereotypical models.’

NASUWT teachers’ union general secretary Chris Keates said the government needed to take action to prevent the gender divide having ‘serious ramifications for the future education and employment options of boys and girls’. Suspense: Helen Carrington (L), 18, Eliza Rooney, 17 and Rebecca Gray (R), 18, open their envelopes together this morning Relief: The trio of friends then hug with sheer joy at there good results in their A-Levels 'Mickey Mouse' courses fall as students opt for traditional subjects

By Andrew Levy Education Reporter ‘Mickey Mouse’ A-levels are being ditched by thousands of students amid intense competition for places at universities, it emerged yesterday. STUDENT WITH CEREBRAL PALSY ACHIEVES 2A*S AND 2AS A student who has battled with a lifelong disability is celebrating after securing top exam results. Tom Rogers, 18, from Northallerton College, North Yorkshire, achieved two A*s and two A grades in applied ICT double award, English and psychology. He requires full-time care due to cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. Tom will take a place at Northumbria University to study psychology. 'I am absolutely elated with my results,' said the Northallerton teenager who plans to become a forensic psychologist. 'Because I lack certain practical skills, academia is very important to me as it's an area where I feel I have the most to give. 'I've enjoyed a fantastic experience at Northallerton College and am really looking forward to moving on to university.' Teenagers switched in their droves from communication studies, PE and general studies in favour of tougher subjects like maths, economics and science. Elite universities have made clear they want candidates with traditional A-levels after years accepting undergraduates who are unprepared for the intellectual rigour of a degree. The collapse in the uptake of easy or irrelevant A-levels became clear as more than 300,000 people opened their results. More than a quarter achieved A or A* grades but the proportion fell for the second year running, confirming the Government’s determination to end decades of grade inflation. Overall, 26.3 per cent were awarded the top two grades - down 0.3 per cent on last year, the second biggest fall in A-level history. The number getting A* - introduced to identify the brightest students - also fell 0.3 per cent to 7.6 per cent. There was a modest rise in A* - B grades to 52.9 per cent, which helped fuel a record 386,000 students getting places at university following new rules that allow them to admit unlimited numbers of people with ABB or above. This was higher than two years ago when there was a stampede to get on courses before fees trebled to £9,000. It will mean disappointment for many students who just missed out on the threshold, however. Instead, they joined a scramble for places through clearing. Well over 50,000 are expected to use the system, close to the unprecedented 57,000 who relied on it last year.

Special moment: Withington girls jump for joy as 300,000 teenagers all over the UK get their results this morning

Success! Stockport Ladies' footballer Holly Smith nets four A* while Caitlin Whitby and her mother Lesley celebrate the teenager's four A*s at Manchester High School for Girls



Bright: Kate Prescott, 18, will be going to Cambridge University to study natural sciences after receiving six A*s and Eloise Davies will be studying History there after gaining four A*'s and one A at Chelmsford County High



Fervour: Students dance around and hug as they celebrate in Jesmond, Newcastle

DIVING STAR TOM DALEY GETS STRAIGHT As AND SAYS: 'I'M NEVER GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!'

Olympic diver Tom Daley was today celebrating his A-Level success - and never going back to school again.

He said opening an e mail with his results in was the 'most nerve wracking thing'.

Daley, who is on a world tour, said: 'Okay so just got my A level results on e mail which is the most nerve wracking thing ever having to open that and seeing it come through.

'Anyway I opened it and I have got an A star in photography, A in Spanish and an A in Maths, so very happy with that.

'Never have to go to school ever again but I am going to kind of miss it.

'But I mean very happy to come away with straight As and... very happy.

'Now it's time to enjoy the with the rest of my world trip.'

Experts said there could be a spike in appeals about B grades this year as they had become so important.

The subject that suffered from the most spectacular fall in popularity was communication studies, which haemorrhaged 16.6 per cent of candidates from last year.

This was followed by PE, down 14.5 per cent, and performing arts which lost 11.7 per cent.

Critical thinking and general studies shed more than one in nine students.

Economics went up 7.5 per cent, followed by chemistry, up 5.3 per cent and maths rising 4.5 per cent.

Biology, chemistry and physics accounted for 17.8 per cent of all entries, up from 15 per cent in 2009.

Maths was taken by 12 per cent, an increase of a fifth from four years ago.

The change to the ‘facilitating subjects’ as more rigorous subjects are called by the elite universities may have contributed slightly to the fall in top grades as less able students opted to take them.

But the move was welcomed by Mark Dawe, chief executive of the OCR exam board, who said teenagers were becoming ‘more and more savvy about choices they need to make at A-level’.

‘The universities are being very transparent about what they expect - it’s not just the grades, it’s the type of subjects they expect students to take and employers saying “this is the degree we’re looking at”.’



Clever boy: 12-year-old Andrew Ejemai got an A* in A-Level maths at at Brentwood College, Essex

Music man: Daniel McBride, 19, from Gosport, Hampshire, has won a double scholarship to study Composition at London's Royal College of Music despite suffering from recurrent Thyroid cancer

Anxious moment: St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School pupil Susanna Harvey, centre, from Bristol smiles as she reads her 2 A* and 1 A results

Doing well: Nell Ranken, Rebecca Verlander, Louis Hill, Alice Simpson and Bridie McGrail (left to right) receive their A Level results at Stoke Newington School, in Stoke Newington - but girls have fallen behind girls when it comes to top grades

'I'M GOING TO UNI - AND I'M ONLY 13!' - BOY OFF TO READ ECONOMICS A brainy schoolboy today sealed a place at his dream university - at the age of just 13. Zohaib Ahmed, who attends Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, Hampshire, will begin studying Economics at the University of Southampton in October 2014. Today, Zohaib achieved an A in A Level Physics - scoring 510 out of 600 - and an A in AS Level Chemistry.

The achievement is the latest in a long line for clever Zohaib - who took his first GCSE in maths at the age of 8.

Last August he received an A star in GCSE maths statistics, physics, biology and an A in chemistry.

In physics and biology, he amazed teachers by scoring an incredible 100 per cent in four modules.

And three years ago, he became the youngest child in history to get the top grade in an A Level, scoring A star in maths and further maths at the age of just 10.

His ambition is to become an actuary at a big city firm - where he'll analyse the financial impact of risk and uncertainty.

He said: 'I'm so pleased to have already been offered a place.

TEEN WHO WENT EXAMS BY AMBULANCE GETS INTO CAMBRIDGE A special needs student who had to be driven to an exam by ambulance is off to Cambridge University after scoring a string of top grades.

Jeremy Budd, 18, (above, second right) has Asperger's syndrome and sensory neuropathy, which leave him with limited mobility and unable to feel pain in certain situations.

He was set to miss a statistics exam in January because he could not walk into St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in Bristol in heavy snow.

But a St John Ambulance rushed to his home in Horfield and managed to get him to school just in time for him to sit the two-hour paper.

Mr Budd is now off to study maths at Cambridge University's Trinity College after picking up four A* A-levels in maths, further maths, chemistry and philosophy.

He also scored two "S" or Outstanding grades - the highest possible - in Cambridge's Sixth Term Examination Paper.

Thrilled: The Chronicles of Narnia actress Georgie Henley collecting her A* and 2 A's at Bradford Grammer School with best friend Chloe Ramsden who gained 4 A's New life: Georgie still wants to be an actor after her past successes but still to do well academically. She found fame as Lucy in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe



New life: Gem O'Reilly from Rochdale Sixth Form College, celebrating getting her A-Level results but although she has got the grades to go to university, but instead she is having a year out to take a shot at stardom There was also a rise in Extended Project Qualifications to more than 30,000 for the first time, as revealed by the Daily Mail earlier this week. The qualification, which is equivalent to half an A-level, has to be on a subject ‘outside [a student’s] main programme of study’ and is usually presented as a 5,000 word dissertation. The large amount of independent work and original thought involved are highly valued by universities, which use them as ‘tie-breakers’ between degree applicants with similar A-level results or to decide whether to admit someone who has failed to meet their grade offer.

Team hug: Charlotte Senn (L) and Elleanor Cotton, both aged 18, embrace after receiving their A level results in Manchester early today

Pair: Sophia Siddiqui, 18, is embraced by her mother Farzana, as he daughter reveals that she achieved three A* and two A's

Line-up: Withington Independent Girls School pupils pose for parents' cameras as they receive their results

On the phone: Pupils react after receiving their exam results at St Leonards-Mayfield School in Sussex

Lined up: Pupils all rise together in a classic pose seen on exam results day, this time in Newcastle

Having a cwtch: Two friends can't help beaming widely as they get the results they wanted today

Gleeful: A pupil grins and clenches her fists as she speaks to a member of staff at her school this morning

Top achievers: This young women all got a A*s in their A levels today students at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in Bristol

Bubbly: Rosalind Barnett achieved 2 A* and 1 A to secure her a place at Nottingham University while Newcastle twins Eleanor Harrison (black top) are splitting up as she going to America and Sophie is staying in the UK



Girls done good: These students at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls have all successfully got places at Oxbridge

BRIGHT TEENAGER IS OFF TO CAMBRIDGE DESPITE WRITING PROBLEMS

Off to the top: Penny Banks is heading to Cambridge University even though she has dyslexia and dyspraxia A teenager is heading to Cambridge University even though she has problems writing.

Penny Banks secured a string of top A-level grades to win a place at Girton College to read land economy.

The 17-year-old, from Honiton in Devon, has been diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia and also has handwriting issues.

Penny, who gained three A*s in maths, economics and physics, joined Queen's College in Taunton as an academic scholar in year nine.

During her time at the school she has received support from the school's learning development unit, giving her tactics and practical help to help deal with her problems with co-ordination and thought processes.

'I can't think in a straight line and find it really difficult to write fluidly but the support at school has really made a difference,' the teenager said.

'I was finding it really difficult to concentrate in exams and now wear ear plugs - something I would never have thought of - so that I can sub vocalise better and block out any exterior sounds.'

In addition to her academic success, she has also played a role in campaigning against global hunger.

She joined comedian David Walliams to call on the Prime Minister to end global hunger, as part of the national If Campaign.

Penny met David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in June and presented him with a six-foot plate, a symbol of global hunger, ahead of the G8 summit on which were more than 1,000 signatures from people pledging their support.

'I am so excited about going to Cambridge this autumn and cannot wait to get stuck into my course,' said Penny.

'When I read about land economy, I found it so much more interesting and broader than straight economics and I was impressed that Girton was the only college to ask for maths as a required A-level.

'I know that my parents are really proud that despite my learning difficulties I have managed to gain a place at the top university in the country.'

David Cameron praises students on 'helping UK compete in the global race' as storm brews over exam changes Praise: David Cameron said today those moving on to university or an apprenticeship were 'both paths to great careers helping UK compete in the global race' By Matt Chorley, MailOnline Political Editor

David Cameron led tributes to successful students today, amid a political row over changes to the exam system. The Prime Minister said moving on to university or an apprenticeship were ‘both paths to great careers helping UK compete in the global race’. But as the results were published, concerns were raised about the new fall in top grades. Overall 26.3 per cent of entries scored an A or A* this year, down from 26.6 per cent in 2012 - a drop of 0.3 per cent. It is believed to be the second biggest fall in the history of A-levels. As part of major exam reforms in England, Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced that AS-levels are to be separated from full A-levels to form a qualification in their own right. It means that unlike the current system, AS-levels - which are taken after one year of study - will no longer count towards a student's final A-level grade. Instead, A-levels will become ‘linear’, which means students take all of their exams at the end of the two-year course. Labour has vowed to reverse the changes to AS levels, which the Tories today condemned as a move to ‘dumb down’ the exam system. Education Minister Liz Truss said: ‘Every year under Labour, ministers claimed credit for grades going up even though universities and employers complained about standards. ‘We are restoring credibility to A levels by putting universities in control and getting rid of the constant treadmill of exams. ‘But today Labour have confirmed they would reverse our measures to fix the system. ‘It’s the same old Labour. A vote for Labour is a vote for returning to dumbing down, and it's hardworking young people who would pay the price with fewer opportunities to get on in life.’ Message: the PM tweeted this morning but critics have moved to slam changes to the exams system Record: Figures from admission service UCAS show 385,910 have secured a place at university this morning, up nine per cent on this time last year Happy day: More people than ever will be going to university despite fees of £9,000 a year Labour’s shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said it is important that the exams system is ‘rigorous and challenging’ and that young people's achievements are ‘properly reflected in the grade they are awarded’. ‘The continued rise in maths and science entries that Labour began is welcome,’ he said. ‘However, the fall in the number of students taking languages is extremely worrying.’ Teaching unions also raised concerns about the planned changes. Nansi Ellis, head of education policy at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: ‘We are worried about the Government's plans for new look A-levels. ‘We hope the Government rethinks its plans to return to a system of A-levels that only benefited an elite group of students who did well with an intensive regime culminating in one set of final course exams.’ Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), added: ‘It is likely that in future years, as a result of the decoupling of AS-levels from A-levels, as well as an end to modularity, fewer disadvantaged students will continue in education.’