Students at independent schools are up to four times more likely to achieve at least one A* at A level than state-educated pupils, according to a study that raises questions about whether the introduction of the grade has made access to highly selective universities more unequal.

The University of Cambridge¡¯s examinations arm found that 23 per cent of England¡¯s privately schooled A-level entrants got at least one A* in 2014, compared with 5.7 per cent of pupils from council-run comprehensives, and 8.5 per cent of candidates from academies.

Cambridge Assessment said 6.6 per cent of students at fee-paying schools achieved three A*s or better, compared with 1.2 per cent at comprehensives and 2 per cent at academies.

Since the A* was introduced in 2010, many leading universities have incorporated it into their entry requirements.

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A separate study published by Cambridge Assessment last month suggests that this was with good reason. It found that students who achieved at least one A* were 40 per cent more likely to get a first or a 2:1 than students who did not.

But the same study found that state school leavers outperformed privately schooled students who got similar A-level results, being a third more likely to get a good degree. More effective teaching in private schools may leave their students with less untapped potential, the report suggested.

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Neil Harrison, senior lecturer in education at the University of the West of England, said there was ¡°no doubt¡± that the introduction of the A* grade had helped private schools get their pupils into leading universities.

¡°They have the resources and staff-student ratios to be able to push their pupils up into those grades,¡± Dr Harrison said. ¡°Every time you stretch a grading system, it will be the middle classes and their institutions, such as independent schools, that will take advantage.¡±

However, shows that entry rates to highly selective universities for poorer students have risen to a record high since the A* was introduced.

Richard Partington, senior admissions tutor at Churchill College, Cambridge, said that the cohort of state-educated students achieving top grades was growing faster than that in the independent sector.

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¡°The pool of state-educated high achievers one can select from has enlarged in recent years,¡± he said.

Cambridge Assessment says that 12.6 per cent of A-level entrants achieved at least one A* in 2014, and 3.1 per cent achieved three.

While 55.7 per cent of the students achieving grades ABB or better were female, 56.3 per cent of candidates getting three A*s or better were male.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com