Half of all GCSEs taken by pupils at independent schools were graded at level 8 or 9, according to a sample taken by the Independent Schools Council, The Times has reported.

49.7% of entries at a sample of 222 school scored the top grades which equal A and A* under the previous system. 28.3% achieved a 9.

The independent schools achieved a 97.1% pass rate of all GCSEs compared to the national figure of 67.6%.