Top GCSE grades fall in Wales, but still up on pre-Covid
The number of passes is below both 2023 and 2019
Last updated 22nd Aug 2024
The number of top grades awarded for GCSEs in Wales has gone down since last year.
But, the proportion of entries awarded a 7/A or above is slightly higher than before the pandemic.
The figure for 2024 is 19.2%, it's 21.7% for 2023 and 18.4% for 2019.
Today's result is also below the UK average (21.8%).
The overall pass rate in Wales, meaning entries awarded a 4 or above, is also below Welsh levels in 2023 and 2019, and beloe the UK average.
This year, support offered during the Covid-19 pandemic has been completely removed.
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said: "Ofqual do not make available the proportion of young people in exams reaching grade 4 or above by whether they are disadvantaged or not till the autumn, and that is disappointing as the regional differences we see every year are largely a reflection of the differences particularly in the proportions of long-term disadvantaged children by region.
"The Government is rightly focused on the challenge of reducing the disadvantage gap which grew during the pandemic.
"This should be the last year where on results day we have no data on how the nation is doing on this challenge, which is driven not just by educational factors, but by disadvantaged children's health to their housing situations."
One of the teenagers collecting results today, Erin Lois, from Builth Wells, told Greatest Hits Radio she's going to go on to study A-levels, despite not deciding which subjects.
She said: "The (exam) I put the most pressure on myself in is Welsh Literature, because that's the one I was expecting to do the best in.
"I just didn't want to fail.
"I'm actually just stood outside a coffee shop with my mum. We've just come for a treat now, then later on I've got a results party."
Education is devolved in Wales.
Secretary of State Jo Stevens has sent "llongyfarchiadau" (congratulations) to pupils receiving their GCSE grades in Wales.
She posted on X, formerly Twitter: "The wait is over!
"Llongyfarchiadau to everyone in Wales receiving their GCSE results this morning. Wishing you all the best as you embark on your next chapter."
Plaid Cymru's Education spokesperson, Luke Fletcher MS, congratulated students, adding: "We are all too aware of the ongoing difficulties students and teachers have faced as a result of the Covid pandemic and its aftermath, and you should be particularly proud of your achievements against this backdrop."
However, he called for more apprenticeships support from Welsh Government.