If you've searched for "A-Level reforms 2026" and you're worried you missed a big overhaul, you can relax. Nothing structural changed for the 2026 series. Ofqual's summary of summer 2026 showed only small movements in results, and the regulator said the rise in maths top grades reflected a slightly stronger cohort rather than any change in standards. The bigger reform that a lot of the coverage is really about, the one that came out of the Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Professor Becky Francis, isn't due for first teaching until 2031, but that doesn't mean nothing moved. A few subjects had minor specification amendments, exam boards published on-screen exam plans (mostly at GCSE so far), and the Francis Review consultation is genuinely reshaping the medium-term outlook. This piece walks through what happened for 2026, what's under way for the next few years, and what any of this means for a current Year 12 or Year 13.
One caveat: grade standards themselves don't move around year to year. Ofqual is explicit that any variation in headline results reflects the cohort, not a change in what a grade requires. Any "you need X% for an A*" style claims you see should be treated with caution, because grade boundaries are set fresh after every series.
Short version: 2026 was a stable year for A-Levels with subject-level tweaks and on-screen exam plans (mostly at GCSE so far). The bigger reform that ties back to the Curriculum and Assessment Review isn't due for first teaching until 2031. If you're sitting exams in 2026 or 2027, the framework you're working under is essentially the same as 2025.
What Ofqual said about the 2026 series
Ofqual published its 2026 A-Level results summary on 13 August 2026. The headline was 28.3% of A-Level entries graded A* or A, up marginally from 28.2% in 2025. A* alone was 9.6% in England (up from 9.4%). Mathematics, the most-entered subject, saw its A*/A share rise from 41.6% to 42.1%.
In total 835,950 A-Levels were awarded to 320,505 students in 2026. Entries were up 2.7% on the year before, largely tracking a 3.7% rise in the 18-year-old population.
Ofqual said the rise in maths top grades reflected a slightly stronger cohort rather than any change in standards. If you're being told the A-Levels "got easier" or that grade inflation is back, neither claim tracks what the regulator has reported.
Subject-level revisions
Exam boards occasionally make minor amendments to specifications (for example updated set texts or corrected content), so check your board's site for the current version. If your teacher has mentioned a small content update to your subject for this cohort, that's the sort of change they're likely referring to, not a broader reform.
The practical point for students: check the current specification on your board's site (AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, CCEA in Northern Ireland). Anything published there for your exam series is the version you're being tested against. Don't rely on older revision guides without cross-checking.
On-screen exams: where things stand
You may have seen headlines about exams going digital, but the reality is narrower. The on-screen exams offered or planned so far are mostly GCSEs (for example AQA's GCSE Italian and Polish and OCR's on-screen GCSE Computer Science). Ofqual consulted in 2025-26 on allowing on-screen versions of lower-entry GCSEs and most A-Levels (all except maths), but wider rollout isn't expected until towards 2030. Sitting your A-Levels on screen isn't the default.
What that means practically: if your school hasn't told you your exam is digital, it isn't. If you're curious, the boards publish details of their on-screen plans on their own sites.
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The Francis Review and the 2031 reform
The bigger story that a lot of "A-Level reform" coverage refers to is the government's response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review chaired by Professor Becky Francis. That review, launched in 2024, published an interim report in March 2025 and its final report in November 2025, alongside the government's response. The DfE has proposed reforming A-Levels in two phases, with first teaching in 2031 and 2032 (dates still subject to confirmation).
That's the reform that could reshape what A-Levels look like: content breadth, assessment structure, the balance of externally-set exams against other forms of evidence. All of it is under discussion, none of it is legislated, and none of it changes the framework a Year 12 or Year 13 is sitting under right now. It's worth following, but it isn't a 2026 thing.
Alongside the A-Level picture, T-Levels continue to expand as the government's flagship technical route at Level 3, and vocational GCSEs have been trailed for first teaching from 2029. All of this sits within the same reform arc but on separate tracks.
AS-Levels: Still available, still lightly taken
Since the 2015-2017 reforms decoupled AS from A-Level, AS grades no longer contribute to a linear A-Level. AS is still available as a standalone qualification, and some schools continue to enter students, particularly for a fourth subject dropped after Year 12. Entries are much lower than pre-reform, and the government hasn't signalled anything specific for AS in the 2026 series. If you're weighing whether to sit an AS, the honest answer is that it's a school- and subject-level decision, not a national trend. Our guide on AS vs A-Level walks through when it makes sense.
What this means for Year 12 and Year 13
If you're currently in Year 13, you'll sit your exams in summer 2027, and if you're in Year 12, in summer 2028. Both series will run under the same framework as 2026, and nothing in the current reform pipeline affects either cohort.
A few concrete things to do:
- Check your subject's current specification on your board's website. If your teacher has flagged a small revision, that's what they mean.
- Don't rely on "how many marks for an A*" style claims. Boundaries are set fresh each year, and reasonable rules of thumb are typically around a certain percentage but vary from series to series.
- If you're eyeing A-Level Maths or Further Maths, our comparison of A-Level Maths vs Further Maths walks through the choice.
- If you're weighing A-Levels against alternatives, our A-Level vs IB guide covers the main structural differences.
Cognito's A-Level courses cover the current specifications across the main boards. If you're revising AQA A-Level Biology, for example, you're working through the same content structure that sat behind the 2026 papers.
A quick note on the devolved administrations: this piece focuses on England. Wales (WJEC) and Northern Ireland (CCEA) run their own qualification systems with their own review cycles. If you're studying under one of those boards, check their own guidance rather than assuming English-system commentary applies.
