What should happen when publications disagree?

Locate the disagreement before choosing a story

The worked example retains the A*–B field from two publications. Our records don’t yet say which entries each counts or why it was revised. It would be premature to explain the difference as re-marks, rounding or an error simply because one explanation seems plausible.

The comparison’s source-disagreement rule applies to the affected school-year and measure. It does not erase either publication, and it does not require an unrelated grade band to be described as disputed. Open each figure to see the exact field and its checking history.

Later, higher and repeated do not mean verified

A later publication can clarify an earlier one, but its date alone does not settle every conflict. Choosing the higher number would be an editorial preference, not an evidence rule. Numerical agreement between two documents is also weak corroboration if both reproduce the same underlying compilation.

The useful questions are specific: does the original source support this field and value, are the populations the same, and is the publication an independent source or a derivative? A source URL is a route to evidence; it is not a blanket verification label.

Separate school characteristics from research coverage

A long archive may contain many tables because they survived, were accessible and have been researched. A short record may reflect gaps in our collection. Neither observation, by itself, measures educational quality or the strength of a school’s university preparation.

A missing archived page is different from a missing figure on a retrieved page, and both differ from a published suppressed cell. These states should lead to a specific next research question rather than a zero in a chart.

Continue with the evidence that can answer the question

You can read the complete publications, compare another compatible measure, or record the unresolved question in your research case. The most useful clarification asks for the population and revision history of the named table. It does not ask a school to defend a ranking generated from an unresolved difference.

Where these figures come from

Each record gives the full definition, the documents it came from and what we checked.

1. Eton College · 2025 · A-level results · official tables · 2025

   Retained source value; the current comparison marks the band as disputed.

   Publications differ on A*–B. Checked against the original: A*, A*–A, entries and pass.

2. Eton College · 2025 · A-level · published record · 2025 · A-level

   Separate publication version; the population/revision cause is unresolved.

   Publications differ on A*–A and A*–B.

• The cause of the example’s disagreement remains unresolved.
• Historical dossiers’ claims of a completed audit do not verify every current field or interpretation.