The North's Education Minister, Mr Martin McGuinness, yesterday congratulated A-level students in Northern Ireland after they achieved higher exam grades than those in Britain.
Slightly over 25 per cent of the 19,467 results issued by the North's Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) fell into the top A category. The overall average for England, Wales and the North was 17.8 per cent. Mr McGuinness said: "The results announced by CCEA are a credit to the efforts of not only the pupils themselves, but also the dedication of the teachers and lecturers in our schools and colleges."
The CCEA said the North's figure was 3 per cent higher than last year's. Just under half the entries, 49.6 per cent, got either A or B grades, while 93.9 per cent were classified as an E or higher, compared with the overall average of 89.1 per cent.
Nearly 9,700 students sat A-levels set by the CCEA this year, roughly the same number as in 1999. Only 6 per cent of entries were failed by the examiners.
In England the Institute of Directors complained about "endemic and rampant grade inflation" and claimed there was little evidence that standards were the same as 20 years ago.
The CCEA, however, said there was no question of the exams becoming easier.
"We employ fairly stringent measures to ensure standards are maintained. The fact is that students here are doing better," said a CCEA spokesman.