Exam Results Day Congratulations
Achievements celebrated after another year of pandemic upheaval
Education Minister Jeremy Miles has praised the achievements of students all over Wales as 2021 A, AS, VQ and Skills Challenge Certificates results are published.
The total number of A level entries in Wales this year was 35,867, an increase of 14.5% relative to 2020, reversing the decreasing A level entries since the summer of 2015, and resulting in an extra 4,500 A levels being awarded to Welsh learners this year. Results for Wales show that 99.1% of learners achieved A - E grades, up from 97.6% in 2019, with an increase at A with 21.3% of candidates achieving this grade.
This year’s assessment and qualification process have been different to previous years as examinations for summer 2021 were cancelled in response to the pandemic. A new system was designed and delivered by schools and colleges and put trust in them to draw together a range of assessment evidence on which to determine a learner’s grade.
Jeremy Miles said: “I hope everyone who received their grades today feels immensely proud of their remarkable achievement.
“This year has been like no other and you’ve had to make many sacrifices. You have had to deal with so much disruption to your studies over the past 18 months, but have shown tremendous resilience and determination to continue your learning. You have also played an incredibly important role in keeping your classmates, teachers and communities safe.
“While your experiences and the way in which you have been assessed have been different, the value of these qualifications is not. You can can be sure that your grades reflect your hard work throughout this year, and you fully deserve the qualifications you receive.
“Our school and college staff have also been tremendous, working incredibly hard and under a lot of pressure to deliver and mark learners’ assessments.
“The most important thing this year is that learners are able to progress to the next stage of their education, training or their work careers.
“Best of luck to you all in whatever your future holds.”
Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Education, Laura Anne Jones MS, said: “I would like to congratulate every student who has picked up their A Level results today after what has been an incredibly challenging year.
“The hard work of the students and teachers is reflected in the excellent results we see today, and they will afford so many opportunities going forward.”
“On behalf of my Welsh Conservative colleagues, I wish all learners the very best for the future, whether it be heading to university, starting an apprenticeship or jumping straight into a job.”
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said: “Students, teachers and school leaders have worked extremely hard to secure this year’s results in the face of unique and hugely difficult circumstances. School and college staff deserve recognition of the huge pressures and additional workload they have faced in producing centre assessed grades and young people deserve praise for the tenacity they have shown in dealing with the huge uncertainties and anxieties of the last 18 months.
“The challenges of the awarding process this year were significantly exacerbated by minister’s delay in drawing up contingency plans.
“Whilst schools have done a tremendous job in picking up the pieces left of minister’s last-minute decision-making, many teachers were left running on empty with teacher workload at breaking point at the end of last term. We cannot afford a repeat of this confusion and chaos for yet another year.
“In looking ahead to plans for qualifications in 2022 the NASUWT has made it clear to ministers and regulators that mitigations and contingency plans will still be needed. Such mitigations should include a slimmed down package of subject content and the provision of a choice of subject topics across all subjects and qualifications to help reduce the pressures on pupils and teachers and reflect the impact of the disruption to their learning pupils have faced over the last 18 months.
“Teachers and young people need a system for next year’s qualifications which is realistic and responsive to the continuing challenge of the pandemic on students’ education.”
Laura Doel, Director of NAHT Cymru said: “Learners throughout Wales have studied incredibly hard, overcome significant challenges and should be commended for the grades they have received. They may have had to adapt to new ways of learning and overcome many personal sacrifices, showing great strength and determination.
“Second only to the achievements of our learners is that of our school staff. School leaders and teachers have shown their resilience, their commitment to learners and demonstrated beyond any doubt their professionalism and integrity during this year’s process.
“Any talk of grade inflation is unhelpful and does nothing more than undermine the hard work of learners and dedication of the teaching profession. Grades were awarded on the expert judgement of teachers.
“Any comparisons of previous years’ grades is difficult, given the new process used this year. We must be quick not to come to simplistic conclusions for differences that depend on a host of complex factors.
“What this year has provided is an opportunity for us to look at alternatives to the traditional exam process.
“We know that the traditional way of assessing learners is out of step with the ambition of the new curriculum, and as such, we have called for an overhaul in the process which has been exam based for decades.
“Accountability and assessment is the missing piece of the jigsaw when it comes to the New Curriculum for Wales and now we have an opportunity to take what we have learned from this exam series when looking to build a fair and equitable system in Wales.”