A-LEVEL results at the region's independent schools have showed a marked improvement in the top grades compared to last year.

Analysis of the results of 31,921 candidates showed that the average Universities and Colleges Admissions Service points score per candidate was 22.56 compared with a 22.18 average for 1999, a 1.7 per cent improvement.

This year, 36 per cent of independent schools entries were awarded Grade A, up 1.2 per cent on last year, four times greater than the rise in the percentage of A-grades nationally, which was 0.3 per cent, at 17.8 per cent