Students collecting their A-level results have gained the highest marks in at least a decade – despite exams being cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.Though 2.9% more students are off to university this year compared to last, initial UCAS figures revealed.Grades are based on what teachers believe their students would have got – predictions then been revised by the exams watchdogs.The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high, with 27.9% securing the top grades this year, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show.But exam boards downgraded 39.1% pupils' grades in England, according to data from Ofqual – which amounts to around 280,000 entries being adjusted down after.