Girls are outperforming boys in every A level subject apart from modern foreign languages, according to figures released today, which show another record number of students awarded top grades.

The number of exam entries given an A-grade was 24.1 per cent, up 1.3 on last year, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications, the umbrella body for the main exam boards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

An even more dramatic rise occurred in maths A levels which were up by nearly three percentage points to 43.5 per cent of all exam entries this year.

This followed the introduction of reforms to the maths course two years ago, which many critics complained was "dumbing down" but which were designed to create more interest in the subject.

Overall, 96.6 per cent of A level exam entries passed with at least a grade E, up by 0.4 points from last year - a figure that led to more complaints that the 'gold standard' of British education had been tarnished.

Ministers have already announced plans for changes to further differentiate intelligent students from the top performers.

From next year, to provide additional challenges, students are likely also be asked to produce an extended project to identify the highest achievers.

Universities will also see the grades for each of the six units that make up an A level, as well as the overall final grade.

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, said the publication of the A levels should be a day of celebration for students not a denigration of their achievement.

"Every year we get the same old tired assertions about A-level standards supposedly being lower.

"While I don't agree with the critics, it is of course right that we debate standards - but let's do that on another day."

He did concede however that as more students get top grades, universities find it harder to distinguish between them which caused the most popular departments to reject applications from well-qualified candidates.

But despite Mr Knight's plea, news of the record results brought calls for reform from teachers, students and the Opposition.

"Students are working as hard as ever but the exam system needs to work harder to keep pace. It needs to do better at providing the information universities and employers need to identify the students who are most suitable for them," said David Willetts, the Shadow Education Secretary.

He was backed by Tony Halpin, the outgoing Education Editor of The Times, who said in a Times Online commentary that the real losers were the students themselves.

"With a pass rate this year of 96.6 per cent, the A level has already become a qualification that virtually nobody fails," Halpin wrote. "But it will fail the most talented students - and the country - if it can not be made more sensitive to their achievements."

English remains the most popular A level, but there has been a decline in physics, computing and science subjects.

After a drop in popularity in recent years, there has been increased interest in foreign languages this year, with rises in exam entries for German, French and Spanish.

Dr Ellie Johnson Searle, JCQ director, welcomed the rises in results.

"The hard work of students and teachers is clear, especially when judged against the continuing rigour and robustness of the assessment system in the UK," she said.

"The turnaround in mathematics - both in overall numbers and in achievement - is encouraging in the first year of the new specifications."

Some exceptional candidates this year included a grandmother who passed her first A level at 78 and a boy who took an A-level in maths at only 11 years old.

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