A closer look at today's record breaking A level results day

A record number of students awoke to find they'd been accepted onto their first choice university course today, according to the UCAS Chief Executive Mary Curnock Cook on the Today programme this morning.

The data published by UCAS only goes back five years. 353,000 students got their first preference this year, compared to 334,000 in 2010. UCAS confirmed to us the number for 2009 was 319,000 and that before then it was much lower.

But this doesn't mean that students have become more likely to get their first choice. The proportion getting their first choice has been roughly the same over the period - at around 89%.

The number of students getting into any of their choices on results day (not including clearing) has also been increasing - the published statistics show 397,000 got a place this year compared to 374,000 at the same point in 2010.

The A level pass rate has also very slightly decreased this year (from 98.1% to 98.0%) - a point widely picked up on by the news today. This is the first time it has fallen since 1982, according to data from the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham.

UCAS are going to send us the full data dating back before 2010 as soon as possible.