Research edition · Comparison · St Paul’s · Wycombe Abbey
How do St Paul’s and Wycombe Abbey compare on A-level grades at A*?
Comparison · A-level grades at A* · 2017, 2019, 2022. Edition of 12 Nov 2026.
The answer
St Paul’s comes out higher than Wycombe Abbey on the share of A-level entries awarded A* when the available years are compared.
The figures
- St Paul’s
- Wycombe Abbey
Each school against the same scale and years.
Exam eras: 2017–19; 2020–21 (grades set by schools); 2022 (return to exams). 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 | St Paul’s (%) | Wycombe Abbey (%) | Gap (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 46.9 | 40.6 | 6.3 |
| 2019 | 50.4 | 31 | 19.4 |
| 2022 | 70.9 | 63.5 | 7.4 |
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
- These figures cover A levels alone. IB, Pre-U and combined-qualification results are kept separately. Teacher-assessed results from 2020–21 are left out unless you choose to include them. Where publications disagree and the difference remains unresolved, both figures stay in the source record and neither enters this comparison.
- 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: 2017, 2019 and 2022. 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 2022. They can’t show 2026 results.
3 of the 6 recorded figures behind this comparison have an exact source check for that field and year; 3 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
With research access, read our interpretation of the differences between the schools, see whether the choice of years changes the answer, and prepare questions for each school. It is added to your briefing with its sources, dates and qualifications.
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Shown again, with the terms, before you pay
Where the figures come from
Each record gives the full definition, the documents it came from and what we checked.
St Paul’s School · 2017 · A-level results · 2017
This figure hasn’t been fully checked against the original yet.
Wycombe Abbey · 2017 · Outstanding A level Results · 2017 · A-level · A*–E
Checked against the original: A* and A*–A.
St Paul’s School · 2019 · A-level results · 2019
This figure hasn’t been fully checked against the original yet.
Wycombe Abbey · 2019 · Clarence girls celebrate 2019 A level exam results · 2019 · A-level · A*–E
Checked against the original: A* and A*–A.
St Paul’s School · 2022 · A-level results · 2022
Publications differ on A* and A*–A.
Wycombe Abbey · 2022 · A Level Exam Results 2022 · 2022 · A-level · A*–E
Checked against the original: A* and A*–B.