Questions · Eton
Why can Eton have more than one sixth-form result?
A-level grades and Pre-U grades describe different subject entries. A combined headline introduces another definition.
Covers: A worked example from Eton’s 2019 tables, with a native A-level comparison for 2015–2019. This is a historical example, not a claim about Eton’s latest results.
On this page
The answer
Because Eton’s pupils sat two different qualifications. Its tables give A-level results and, separately, results for a smaller group of Pre-U entries, each in its own grades. A top Pre-U band isn’t an A-level A* just because both are sixth-form exams, so first check which qualification, and which entries, a percentage counts.
The Schools Record now also publishes a comparable figure for each school and year: A-level and Pre-U entries read on one scale (Pre-U D1 and D2 as A*, D3 as A, M1 and M2 as B) and weighted by entries, shown beside the school’s own figure and the original grades and labelled as our calculation. For Eton in 2019 it is 41.6% A* or equivalent (365 of 878 entries). This article’s point still holds: a Pre-U band and an A-level band are different measures, so the tables below keep their own names and the comparison stays A-level only.
The figures
Each figure keeps its own year and group, and doesn’t change with your shortlist.
2019 · A-level post-2010 A*–E
Eton · native A-level A*
38.3%
The A-level-only top-grade measure.
- Population
- A-level subject entries
- Denominator
- 624
2019 · A level
Eton · A-level subject entries
624
Entries are examination subjects, not a pupil count.
- Population
- A-level subject entries
- Denominator
- Not recorded
2019 · Cambridge Pre-U
Eton · Pre-U D1–D2
49.6%
A separate Pre-U grade band and subject population.
- Population
- Self-selected Pre-U subject entries
- Denominator
- 254
2019 · Cambridge Pre-U
Eton · Pre-U subject entries
254
This denominator belongs to the Pre-U table only.
- Population
- Self-selected Pre-U subject entries
- Denominator
- Not recorded
Start with the subject entries
A pupil can take more than one examination subject. The entry total therefore counts awards or subject results, not individual pupils. The A-level and Pre-U tables below have their own entry totals and their own grade labels. A percentage is meaningful only together with that population.
In this example, the Pre-U record is explicitly a small, self-selected subject population. It cannot stand in for Eton’s whole sixth form, or for another school’s whole-cohort Pre-U results. The difference in coverage matters before the percentages are compared.
A combined headline needs its own definition
Historical publications sometimes place A-level and Pre-U results on a school-defined equivalence scale. Such a statement may be a useful description of that publication, but it is a different measure from native A-level A*. D1, D1–D2 and A* are not interchangeable labels.
The worked figures use the separate tables in our records. They do not reconstruct a combined percentage from an older dossier. Where we have a combined publication elsewhere in our records, its own qualification mapping and denominator remain part of the evidence.
Make the comparison on a compatible basis
The linked comparison asks about native A-level A* shares over a declared period. It uses the same eligibility rules as the main comparison tool, including source disagreements and assessment regimes. A missing or excluded year remains visible; the article does not substitute a mixed-qualification headline to fill it.
After examining the result, try a broader grade band. A* and A*–A ask different questions about the distribution. Check eligibility again: a disagreement affecting one band need not affect every band in the same table.
Try the comparison
Eton and Westminster: A-level grades at A*, 2015–2019
Share of published A-level entries awarded A* in the named examination year.
Eton’s recorded result was lower than Westminster’s in both shared years (2017, 2019): by 5 and 8.7 percentage points. Two shared years are too few to state a typical gap.
A break in a line means a year has no comparable figure; nothing is estimated. Not charted (fewer than 3 comparable years): Eton (2017: 42%; 2019: 38.3%). The figures behind the chart are listed below.
Exact values, and years left out
| School and year | Figure | What it counts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eton College 2018 | 38.2%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 639 | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2018 |
| Eton College 2019 | 38.3%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 624 | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2019 |
| Eton College 2015 | 36.4%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entries | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2015 |
| Eton College 2016 | 43.5%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entries | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2016 |
| Eton College 2017 | 42%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entries | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2017 |
| Westminster School 2015 | 49%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 583 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2015 |
| Westminster School 2016 | 49%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 570 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2016 |
| Westminster School 2017 | 47%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 469 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2017 |
| Westminster School 2018 | 48%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 460 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2018 |
| Westminster School 2019 | 47%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 454 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2019 |
| Eton College 2018 | 42%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this counts | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2018 |
| Eton College 2015 | 35%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this counts | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2015 |
| Westminster School 2019 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this counts | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2019 |
| Westminster School 2015 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 583 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2015 |
| Westminster School 2016 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 573 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2016 |
| Westminster School 2017 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 469 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2017 |
| Eton College 2015 | 35.4%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 723 | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2015 |
| Eton College 2016 | 42.5%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 709 | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2016 |
| Eton College 2018 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 639 | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2018 |
| Eton College 2019 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | A-level subject entriesOut of 624 | Source and full figures: Eton College, 2019 |
| Westminster School 2015 | 49.7%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 583 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2015 |
| Westminster School 2016 | 51.0%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 573 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2016 |
| Westminster School 2017 | 47.1%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 469 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2017 |
| Westminster School 2018 | Unknown / not recordedA-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 460 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2018 |
| Westminster School 2018 | 48.0%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 460 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2018 |
| Westminster School 2019 | 46.7%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 454 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2019 |
| Westminster School 2019 | 46.7%A-level post-2010 A*–E · Grade awards | The publication doesn’t say who this countsOut of 454 | Source and full figures: Westminster School, 2019 |
Record details
Each figure’s status as recorded, the precision it was printed to, and its record code.
- Eton College, 2018: Primary · 1 decimal place ·
fig:eton_alevel_primary_sheets:0 - Eton College, 2019: Primary · 1 decimal place ·
fig:eton_alevel_primary_sheets:1 - Eton College, 2015: Primary / Secondary · 1 decimal place ·
fig:eton_alevel_headline_gap_years:4 - Eton College, 2016: Primary / Secondary · 1 decimal place ·
fig:eton_alevel_headline_gap_years:5 - Eton College, 2017: Primary / Secondary · 0 decimal places ·
fig:eton_alevel_headline_gap_years:6 - Westminster School, 2015: Primary · 0 decimal places ·
fig:westminster_alevel:27 - Westminster School, 2016: Primary · 0 decimal places ·
fig:westminster_alevel:28 - Westminster School, 2017: Primary · 0 decimal places ·
fig:westminster_alevel:29 - Westminster School, 2018: Primary · 0 decimal places ·
fig:westminster_alevel:30 - Westminster School, 2019: Primary · 0 decimal places ·
fig:westminster_alevel:31 - Eton College, 2018: Source disagreement · versions retained · 0 decimal places ·
new:eton:2018:a-level-annual-report-version - Eton College, 2015: Source disagreement · versions retained · 0 decimal places ·
new:eton:2015:a-level-annual-report-version - Westminster School, 2019: Primary · As published; not an exact number ·
new:westminster:2019:sixth-form-published-equivalent:newsletter - Westminster School, 2015: Primary · As published; not an exact number ·
new:westminster:2015:isc:a-level-isc-population - Westminster School, 2016: Primary · As published; not an exact number ·
new:westminster:2016:isc:a-level-isc-population - Westminster School, 2017: Primary · As published; not an exact number ·
new:westminster:2017:isc:a-level-isc-population - Eton College, 2015: Verified primary publication; printed percentages · 0 decimal places ·
research:eton:2015:audit-al2015 - Eton College, 2016: Verified primary publication; printed percentages · 0 decimal places ·
research:eton:2016:audit-al2016 - Eton College, 2018: Verified primary publication; printed percentages · As published; not an exact number ·
research:eton:2018:audit-current-2018-Final-Statistics-A2 - Eton College, 2019: Verified primary publication; printed percentages · As published; not an exact number ·
research:eton:2019:audit-current-2019-Final-Summer-A2 - Westminster School, 2015: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · 0 decimal places ·
research:westminster:2015:existing-counts-new-westminster-2015-isc-a-level-isc-population - Westminster School, 2016: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · 0 decimal places ·
research:westminster:2016:existing-counts-new-westminster-2016-isc-a-level-isc-population - Westminster School, 2017: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · 0 decimal places ·
research:westminster:2017:existing-counts-new-westminster-2017-isc-a-level-isc-population - Westminster School, 2018: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · As published; not an exact number ·
research:westminster:2018:a-level-2018-school-subject-counts - Westminster School, 2018: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · 0 decimal places ·
research:westminster:2018:isc-shared-a-level-isc-population - Westminster School, 2019: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · 0 decimal places ·
research:westminster:2019:a-level-2019-school-subject-counts - Westminster School, 2019: Source-defined table; date / version and scope retained · 0 decimal places ·
research:westminster:2019:isc-shared-a-level-isc-population
- Eton · 2015: source disagreement; research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis
- Eton · 2016: source disagreement
- Eton · 2018: source disagreement; research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis; missing value
- Eton · 2019: missing value
- Westminster · 2015: research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis; missing value
- Westminster · 2016: research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis; missing value
- Westminster · 2017: research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis; missing value
- Westminster · 2018: research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis; missing value
- Westminster · 2019: research observation outside matched schoolwide scope; incompatible definitions; unknown population basis; missing value
Where these figures come from
Each record gives the full definition, the documents it came from and what we checked.
Eton College · 2019 · A-level results · official tables · 2019
The A-level-only top-grade measure. Entries are examination subjects, not a pupil count.
Publications differ on A*–A. Checked against the original: A*–B.
Eton College · 2019 · Cambridge Pre-U results · 2019
A separate Pre-U grade band and subject population. This denominator belongs to the Pre-U table only.
We don’t yet have a usable description of this figure’s source, or a check against the original. Its reference codes are kept for further research.
- This comparison can’t show the effect of teaching, or a particular pupil’s prospects.
- An equivalence used in a historical publication is not a universal conversion between qualifications.
About this answer
Editorial interpretation by The Schools Record. The research material below informed the questions; source passages consulted for this explanation are identified above. Displayed numerical examples come from this publication’s current evidence records; earlier research editions do not override them.
- Figures Bible v15.3 · historical examination reconstruction · pages 16–17, 39–46
Reviewed for this edition on . This is an interpretation of the cited evidence, not a new check of every original historical publication.
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