THOUSANDS of teenagers across the country are nervously awaiting their A-level results this morning.

Experts have predicted that the pass rate will stall this year, amid fresh attempts by the exams regulator to tackle grade inflation.

It means that the proportion of students awarded top grades is unlikely to increase greatly from 2011 levels.

Concerns have also been raised this year that changes to university admissions will mean that able teenagers who are predicted to score two As and a B, but just fall short, will struggle to gain a place.

The number of students already accepted on to university courses has dropped by almost 7%, official figures show.

As of midnight, a total of 357,915 applicants had had their places confirmed, down from 384,649 at the same point in 2011 - a fall of 6.95%.

Around 79,000 UK applicants are still awaiting decisions, and more than 10,000 people have already applied for places through clearing.