The share of entries achieving the highest grade has plateaued for the first time in more than 10 years but A-level pass rates have risen to record highs.
The figures released by the Joint Qualifications Council on Thursday showed the number of exams awarded As and A*s remained the same as last year - 27 per cent. The last time the level flatlined was in 1997.
As predicted, the overall pass rate rose for the 29th year running; 97.8 per cent achieved at least an E grade, up from 97.6 per cent last summer. The figures cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland as Scottish students received their results in the first week of August.
The proportion of students awarded A*s has risen slightly from 8.1 per cent to 8.2 per cent. The newly introduced grade will be vital for top universities in awarding places to candidates.
Students from Northern Ireland outdid their English and Welsh counterparts again this year, with a pass rate of 98 per cent.
In Wales, the percentage of students' top A-level grades fell slightly from 6.5 per cent to 6.3 per cent, while the proportion of those gaining A grades fell from 24.4 per cent last year to 23.9 per cent this year. It is the lowest rate of A grades in Wales since 2006.
In the wake of calls by David Willetts for 'hard' A-level subjects to carry more weight the JCQ revealed entries for maths and science have risen sharply. The JQC revealed maths entries are up 40.2 per cent over the last five years.
Latest figures released by UCAS confirmed the number of applications as of midnight. A record 384,649 candidates were awarded places to study at universities and colleges. This is up from 379,411 on last year's results day.
Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of UCAS said: "While this is another very competitive year for higher education admissions, the majority of applicants whose places are results-dependent are likely to be successful."
But general secretary of NASUWT Chris Keates said: "It is scandalous when we have such record levels of success the coalition is reducing the opportunities for young people to access university."
More than 250,000 pupils are receiving their results today, and many will face a tough clearing process to secure a place to study at university.