lemongrove That's not the whole truth.
State grammar schools and academic state sixth form colleges have comparable results to the best independent schools, but they have been downgraded harshly.
The difference is that they tend to have bigger entries per subject. The algorithm used by Ofqual hasn't adjusted small entries (fewer than five), has taken teacher assessments into account with entries between six and 15, but has used a computer algorithm without even considering teacher assessments for entries of 16 and over.
It doesn't show that state schools are dropping behind the independent sector at all!! Independent school pupils have been awarded higher grades without even sitting an exam, so it shows the exact opposite!
Therefore, minority subjects, which tend to have very small numbers, haven't been downgraded. That includes subjects such as Latin, which tend to be taught more in private schools. Private schools tend to have small entries, so they haven't been adjusted or at least teacher assessments have at least been taken into account.
Pupils have been discriminated against because their school/college has high numbers of entries. That's how the algorithm has worked - nothing at all to do with higher standards in privates schools.
Inner city pupils tend to take A levels at sixth form and FE colleges, which have been particularly badly affected.
Interestingly, Westminster School, which is independent but also has large entries, hasn't announced its results and is waiting for appeals. Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge, which has some of the best A level results in the country, has also been affected, just because it has big entries.
It is also not true that universities have been understanding about grades. A handful have been, but the vast majority of Russell Group universities haven't shown any leniency. Some have already informed candidates that even if grades are upgraded on appeal, which is unlikely given the criteria needed for appeals, their places are already full and there won't be any further vacancies.