LONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / January 13, 2026 / A-Level Maths Mastery, January 13th, 2026,
UK A-Level maths grades have stopped moving in any meaningful direction - and education specialists say that should worry us. While headline figures suggest consistency, tutors working closely with high-performing and struggling students alike report a growing gap between exam preparation and real mathematical understanding. According to leading maths educators, it's time to rethink how A-Level maths is taught if students are to thrive beyond the exam hall.
A Closer Look at the Data
According to provisional statistics from UK exam boards, the overall proportion of A* and A grades awarded at A-Level in 2025 edged up to around 28%, broadly consistent with pre-pandemic levels and only marginally higher than in 2024.
Meanwhile, subject-specific analysis reveals that mathematics results have shown only limited year-on-year movement: in 2025, between roughly 40% of maths entrants achieved A-A*, a figure closely aligned with recent cohorts and suggesting little real progress in attainment over time.
Perhaps more worrying still are the persistent regional and socio-economic disparities evident in A-Level outcomes. Investigations by major UK news outlets point to deepening attainment gaps between wealthier and more deprived areas, despite overall grade statistics telling a broadly similar story.
Taken together, the data - while far from disastrous - highlights a plateau in genuine performance improvement, especially in demanding quantitative subjects like maths. For many tutors and education specialists, this signals a need for a rethink on how we prepare young people for A Levels.
Tutors Call for Change in Teaching Approach
In the view of leading educators, the issue isn't just raw results data, it's what those results imply about curriculum and students' readiness to tackle mathematical problem-solving in depth.
Amrit Shinh, CEO of A-Level Maths Mastery, is among the voices urging a shift:
"We're seeing a situation where surface-level metrics give an impression of stability, but when you look closer, students are still struggling with the core conceptual and problem-solving skills that real mastery requires. If teaching remains focused on rote learning and exam technique alone, we risk consigning another generation to a shallow understanding of mathematics." - Amrit Shinh, CEO, A-Level Maths Mastery
Shinh argues that many current A-Level programmes increasingly emphasise coverage - getting through a syllabus - over deep understanding, which can leave learners ill-equipped for complex questions and higher-level study.
What Needs to Change?
Top tutors and education specialists point to several emerging themes in effective maths teaching:
Mastery-focused study: Encouraging students to explore concepts deeply rather than superficially covering topics just in time for exams.
Rich problem solving: Incorporating more open-ended tasks that build reasoning skills, not just procedural fluency.
Early intervention and support: Catching gaps before they become entrenched - particularly important given persistent inequalities in performance.
Real-world application: Helping learners see maths beyond formulae and into the contexts where it truly matters.
These techniques are familiar to specialist tutors working with students who go on to excel at top universities and they form the backbone of the teaching philosophy at A-Level Maths Mastery. You can learn more about their approach at https://alevelmathsmastery.com.
Looking Forward
The latest government statistics show maths as one of the most commonly taken A-Levels, with over 100,000 entries in recent exams, yet the pace of improvement in high grades has slowed, making questions about teaching quality increasingly urgent.
For many educators, the message is clear: incremental changes to assessment or syllabus content won't be enough. What's needed is a refocus on how we teach, rooted in deep understanding and supported by tools and techniques proven to build confidence and capability in mathematics.
As Amrit Shinh puts it:
"We have the talent and the resources in this country to be world-class in maths education - but only if we're willing to rethink classroom practice and invest in methods that truly build mastery." - Amrit Shinh, CEO, A-Level Maths Mastery
If you're interested in exploring how innovative teaching strategies can transform student outcomes, discover more at https://alevelmathsmastery.com.
CONTACT: Amrit Shinh
EMAIL: amrit@alevelmaths.com
SOURCE: A-Level Maths Mastery
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