A CITY university official last night accused schools of "over-egging" their students’ A-level abilities after a record number fell massively short of their predicted grades.

The damning verdict came as hundreds of Merseyside students yesterday toasted another record year of A-level results which nationally rose for the 28th consecutive year.

The improvements come despite a new tougher A* grade awarded for the first time and it is estimated that one in 14 entries could be awarded the grade.

But good grades may not be a passport to a degree, with predictions that between 170,000 and 200,000 students could miss out this autumn as universities face multi-million pound cuts and intense pressure on places.

And last night Liverpool Hope University’s vice dean of education David Cumberland (pictured) said the scramble for places was being exacerbated due to a growing number of students being given "false hope" and losing out on conditional places after failing to get close to their school’s predictions.

The revelation came after Liverpool John Moores University said demand was so high it had specifically set aside 400 clearing places for top performing students narrowly missing out on their original choice.

Conditional offers are dependent on students meeting their projected grades normally submitted by their teachers after the first year of their A-level course.

But Mr Cumberland said "the perception seems to be that there is a larger void than normal" between a school’s estimate and students’ actual showings in the exam halls.

And the gulf was so bad this year that across three A-levels some students had dipped up to 150 points and five grades less than their teachers predicted, with at least 60 applicants this year "nowhere near" the required grades.

This, he said, was effectively a "wasted application" and by "over-egging the pudding" students may succeed in receiving an offer but would ultimately be left disappointed.

He said: "Schools should be accurate as when they are writing their references they can see how their students are doing at AS Level (the first year of A-levels). A student getting straight As at AS is likely to do well and those struggling can expect something different.

"Some teachers may have been keen to encourage students to achieve high grades, but ultimately it does not serve the student but gives them false hope."

Mr Cumberland said he believed it was a problem across institutions, and Anne Wilson, head of admissions at Edge Hill university, admitted it was an issue.

She said: "We have noticed incidents on applications where the grades students achieved simply do not match those predicted on their references." But Gerard Lonergan, headteacher at Gateacre comprehensive school, which secured a record 99% pass rate this year, said he would be "very surprised" if schools were deliberately being over- optimistic.