Research edition · Comparison · City of London · Wellington

How do City of London and Wellington compare on A-level grades at A*?

Comparison · A-level grades at A* · 2024–2026. Edition of 28 Sep 2026.

The answer · Holds up

Over the 3 years we can compare (2024–2026), City of London is ahead by a typical 12.8 points; the one year range we can test agrees.

Measure: Share of published A-level entries awarded A* in the named examination year. Years: 2024–2026.

Your briefing (0)

The figures

A-level grades at A* · 2024–2026
  • City of London
  • Wellington
A-level grades at A*, 2024–2026, on a scale of 20% to 45%. City of London: 3 years (2024–2026), latest 42% in 2026; circle marker, solid; Wellington: 3 years (2024–2026), latest 26.7% in 2026; square marker, long dashes. Each point links to its source record; the exact values are listed below the chart. Exam eras: 2024–25; 2026. The rule beneath the axis marks exam conditions, not schools.City of London 2024: 42%City of London 2025: 39%City of London 2026: 42%Wellington 2024: 32.7%Wellington 2025: 26.2%Wellington 2026: 26.7%

Each school against the same scale and years.

City of London
A-level grades at A*, 2024–2026, on a scale of 20% to 45%. City of London: 3 years (2024–2026), latest 42% in 2026; circle marker, solid. Each point links to its source record; the exact values are listed below the chart. Exam eras: 2024–25; 2026. The rule beneath the axis marks exam conditions, not schools.City of London 2024: 42%City of London 2025: 39%City of London 2026: 42%
Wellington
A-level grades at A*, 2024–2026, on a scale of 20% to 45%. Wellington: 3 years (2024–2026), latest 26.7% in 2026; square marker, long dashes. Each point links to its source record; the exact values are listed below the chart. Exam eras: 2024–25; 2026. The rule beneath the axis marks exam conditions, not schools.Wellington 2024: 32.7%Wellington 2025: 26.2%Wellington 2026: 26.7%

Exam eras: 2024–25; 2026. The rule beneath the axis marks exam conditions, not schools.

A break in a line means a year has no comparable figure; nothing is estimated. The figures behind the chart are listed below.

A-level grades at A*: City of London and Wellington, each year both can be compared. The gap is City of London minus Wellington, in percentage points.
YearCity of London (%)Wellington (%)Gap (points)
20244232.79.3
20253926.212.8
20264226.715.3

Figures to two decimal places at most. A figure known only within the school’s rounding is shown as a range, never as its lower end.

Read this with the answer

  • A-level-only series. IB, Pre-U, mixed qualifications and school-defined combined definitions are excluded. CAG/TAG years 2020–21 are excluded by default; unresolved competing values are retained in the evidence record but omitted here.
  • Published results describe different groups of pupils, chosen in different ways. They can’t show the effect of attending a school, or what one pupil would achieve.
  • Only the years both schools can be compared on are used: 2024, 2025 and 2026. A missing or excluded year is not a zero result.
  • Fewer than five shared years, which is too few for the period check: it needs five.
  • These figures carry the record’s existing source checks, which are kept apart from background links. This edition didn’t reopen every original publication.
  • Historical results: the latest shared year is 2026. 2026 counts only where a figure passes this measure’s usual rules.

6 of the 6 recorded figures behind this comparison have an exact source check for that field and year; 0 are recorded or calculated figures with their support set out in Record details. This is not a fresh check of every source.

With research access

What the study means, and what to ask next

Research access adds what the comparison shows once it is read year by year, whether the answer holds when the period changes, and the questions to take to each school. It is added to your briefing with its sources, dates and qualifications.

Research access isn’t on sale yet. The prices are proposed, nothing can be bought or paid on this site, and no opening date is set.

Proposed; not yet on sale

Where the figures come from

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

  1. City of London School · 2024 · A-level · published record · 2024 · A-level

    Checked against the original: A*, A*–A, A*–B and entries.

  2. Wellington College · 2024 · A-level · published record · 2024 · A-level

    Checked against the original: A*, A*–A and A*–B.

  3. City of London School · 2025 · A-level · published record · 2025 · A-level

    Checked against the original: 10 figures, including A* count, A* and A*–A.

  4. Wellington College · 2025 · A-level · published record · 2025 · A-level

    Checked against the original: A*, A*–A and A*–B.

  5. City of London School · 2026 · A-level · published record · 2026 · A-level

    Checked against the original: A*, A*–A and A*–B.

  6. Wellington College · 2026 · A-level · published record · 2026 · A-level

    Checked against the original: A* and A*–A.

Source evidenceOpen full record ↗