The brightest teenagers are one third less likely to achieve top A-level grades than they were four years ago, analysis has found.
Falling numbers of school leavers with strong A-level grades have played havoc with university admissions, with teachers much more likely to make inaccurate predictions of how well sixth-formers will perform.
The trend is likely to hasten the creation of an “Ivy League” of the most selective British universities, as those in the lower half of the Russell Group are forced to lower entry requirements or shrink their student roll.
Analysis of A-level results by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) shows that the number of 18-year-olds applying to university with grades of ABB or higher has fallen from 67,810 four years ago