A-level results 2016: IN NUMBERS

The number of candidates receiving top grades has fallen for the fifth year in a row. A total of 25.8% of entrants scored either an A or A*, down from 25.9% in 2015.

8.1% of entrants received an A*, down from 8.2% last year.

The gap between girls and boys receiving the top grades has narrowed to its smallest for at least 10 years. The number of girls who got A or higher was 0.3 percentage points more than the number of boys. In 2006 the gap was 2.6 percentage points.

The gap between the best-performing girls and boys has narrowed for the first time in five years. The number of boys who got A* was 0.8 percentage points higher than girls - down 0.1 points on 2015.

The overall pass rate (grades A*-E) was 98.1%, unchanged on last year.

There were 836,705 entrants for the exams, down 1.7% on last year's total.

The most popular subject this year was maths. It was taken by 92,163 students, a slight fall of 0.6% on 2015.

English was the second most popular subject. It was taken by 84,710 students, a fall of 5.4% on 2015. The third most popular subject was biology, taken by 62,650 students, a drop of 1.0%.

General studies saw the biggest drop in candidates of any subject with more than 1,000 entrants. The number fell by just over a third (35.0%).

Computing saw the biggest jump in entrants, rising by 16.0% on 2015.

Almost three in 10 candidates in Northern Ireland achieved grades A or above (29.5%). The equivalent rate for England was 25.8% and for Wales it was 22.7%.

Northern Ireland also saw the highest overall pass rate (grades A*-E): a total of 98.2% of entrants. The figure for England was 98.1% and for Wales it was 97.3%.