Research edition · Comparison · Eton · SPGS
How do Eton and SPGS compare on A*–A or equivalent, all sixth-form exams?
Comparison · A*–A or equivalent, all sixth-form exams · 2016–2018, 2022–2023, 2025. Edition of 28 Sep 2026.
The answer · Holds up
Over the 6 years we can compare (2016–2018, 2022, 2023, 2025), SPGS is ahead by a typical 10.6 points; 10 of 10 year ranges agree.
The figures
- Eton
- SPGS
Each school against the same scale and years.
Exam eras: 2016; 2017–19; 2020–21 (grades set by schools); 2022 (return to exams); 2023–25. 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.
| Year | Eton (%) | SPGS (%) | Gap (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 79.93 | 93.8 | −13.87 |
| 2017 | 80.74 | 85.2 | −4.46 |
| 2018 | 76.73 | 90.18 | −13.45 |
| 2022 | 84.49 | 95.1 | −10.61 |
| 2023 | 80.22 | 88.1 | −7.88 |
| 2025 | 78.2 | 88.7 | −10.5 |
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
- Comparable figure: TSR’s calculation across every A-level, Pre-U principal-subject and IB Higher Level entry, weighted by entries. Cambridge aligns Pre-U D3 with A and UCAS scores IB 6 like an A.
- 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: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2025. A missing or excluded year is not a zero result.
- The period check compares all shared years, the latest three, the latest five and each year left out in turn, not every possible period. The same school is ahead in every one of these choices of years.
- These figures carry the record’s existing source checks, which are kept apart from background links. This edition didn’t reopen every original publication.
- Counting A-level A*–A, Pre-U D1–D3 and IB Higher Level 7–6 together is our stated convention, weighted by entries. They are not the same examinations, and entries are not pupils.
- Historical results: the latest shared year is 2025. They can’t show 2026 results.
0 of the 12 recorded figures behind this comparison have an exact source check for that field and year; 12 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.
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Where the figures come from
Each record gives the full definition, the documents it came from and what we checked.
Eton · 2016 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2016
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
SPGS · 2016 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2016
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
Eton · 2017 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2017
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
SPGS · 2017 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2017
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
Eton · 2018 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2018
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
SPGS · 2018 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2018
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
Eton · 2022 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2022
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
SPGS · 2022 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2022
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
Eton · 2023 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2023
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
SPGS · 2023 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2023
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
Eton · 2025 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2025
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.
SPGS · 2025 · Comparable sixth-form figures · 2025
Our comparable figure, calculated from the school’s published grades; its page lists each qualification it combines and the records behind them.