Northern Ireland is apparently the smartest region in the UK

How does your region fare?

This week saw the dreaded A-level results day, with thousands of students across the UK making their way into school to find out their exam results and (therefore) their University choices.

We've all been there - and results day never goes how we'd imagine, in fact the realities of getting your A-level results (in our experience) are pretty disappointing.

This year however, the UK fared particularly well, with 2017's student grades at an all time high.

The A-level pass rates proved interesting showing the percentage of top grades obtained by region, with some faring a lot better than others.

Top of the boards were students from Northern Ireland, with a 98.3% pass rate of A* to E grades, and 30.4% of the A-level students receiving As and A*s.

North-east and north-west England both came next, with a joint pass rate of 98.2%, with 24.5% of students in north-west England getting As and A*s compared to 23.3% in the North-east.

South-west and south-east England both came in with a 98.0% pass rate, with 28.9% of the south-east students getting As and A*s, over the south-west that came in with 26.8%.

Eastern England and Yorkshire and the Humber came next with a joint pass rate of 97.9%, followed by Wales and East Midlands with a joint pass rate of 97.7%.

Students in the West Midlands fared the worst, with a pass rate of 97.4%, and 22.9% of them obtaining As and A*s.

So Northern Ireland has undoubtedly come out on top, but the UK as a whole has had an excellent year, with a 97.9% pass rate and 26.3% bagging the top marks, and grades rising for the first time in six years.