Wales' GCSE results slightly down on pre-Covid year

Top GCSE grades, as expected, are down in Wales after the extra pandemic support measures came to an end.

Unlike last week’s A-level results, which were higher than in 2019, A* to C grades at GCSE are slightly down on the year before the pandemic.

There were 62.2% grades at A* to C, compared to 62.8% in 2019 - and this compares to 64.9% last year.

Education Secretary Lynne Neagle said the results were "where we expected them to be with outcomes similar to 2019".

However, there was an improvement at the very highest grades - with A* and As up from 18.4% before Covid to 19.2%.

Sixteen-year-old Cristina, who goes to Pencoed Comprehensive School near Bridgend, said Covid was a "key time to miss".

Extra support measures for pupils and more generous grading were dropped this year as the system returns to normal after the pandemic.

Poppy, 16, who goes to Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd, is very happy with her results as she passed all her exams, and got two As.

"I want to become a family liaison officer, so I'm going to stay on in sixth form and study psychology, criminology and health and social," she said.

Madoc, 16, got five Bs, one A and six Cs and said he did not expect to get the results he received.

"I'm so happy with my results - I was expecting just to pass and now I've got these results.

"I'm not sure what I want to do now, but I definitely know I want to stay in sixth form and education. I'm just so shocked."

Evie and Ellie, both 16, are very happy with their results.

"We’ve been nervous throughout the summer - haven’t really been able to relax or sleep!

"We were in Year 7/8 when it [Covid] started and by the time it was kind of back to normal we were in Year 10," said Evie.

"Having the teachers around today has been helpful because although we have an idea what we want to do next, and have obviously thought about it through the summer, it's great to have them here and talk through all the options with us in case we want to change our minds," said Ellie.

Qualifications Wales said this year's results were a "return to normal assessment and grading arrangements" after extra supports were put in place from 2020 to 2023.

It said in the run up to results a statistical "safety net" would be deployed to bolster any subjects where performance was well below pre-pandemic levels, but confirmed it had not been needed.

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Pupils also received results for the Welsh Baccalaureate, BTec and other qualifications.

Cristina said the disruption due to Covid not only made making friends more difficult, but also affected her and her fellow pupils' attitude to studying.

“We were supposed to be carrying on with education and revising but as far as I know no one in Year 7 and 8 did that," she said.

"It’s only one or two years but it’s quite a key time to miss.

"I missed so much, I tried to work hard, too hard, to catch up with what I’d missed."

Cristina already has three GCSEs under her belt and will be collecting her results on Thursday knowing that she has a scholarship to study at the international school, Atlantic College in Vale of Glamorgan, from September.

Chris Parry, head of Lewis School Pengam, in Caerphilly county, and president of the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) Cymru said results were a "key indicator of the health of the (education) system" even though year-on-year comparisons were difficult.

He said it was important for the system to get back to normal but schools and pupils still faced Covid-related challenges, including poor attendance.

"I think at some point we were always going to have to go back to where we were in 2019 and it's right that we've done that this year", he said.

"I think it's important to stress that these pupils have still missed a lot of time and there are still challenges that exist within the system".

Millie, 16, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, said she was "definitely nervous" but trying to stay as positive as she can ahead of her GCSE results.

She said she was expecting a mixed bag of grades on Thursday, after ups and downs during exams including having to leave the hall when she fell unwell while doing one English paper.

Sitting exams with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) was difficult because of the change of routine, so she said "it’s not the work that I'm more concerned about, it’s how well I've handled my exams".

She is planning to go to sixth form for A-levels and possibly some resits, but said she was proud whatever her results "because I've tried my best".

There were almost 323,000 entries at GCSE this summer.

Grades in Wales are A* to G - in England they are numbered 9 to 1.

There will be major changes to GCSEs in Wales from September 2025 after reforms to align qualifications with the Curriculum for Wales, which started being taught in all schools from September 2023.

Scrapping separate qualifications in Chemistry, Physics and Biology in favour of a double science GCSE has proved controversial.

Qualifications Wales announced earlier this year the new The Sciences GCSE would be taught from September 2026, rather than September 2025 as originally planned.

• More than 58,000 learners in Wales received their GCSE results
• There were fewer entries from learners in Year 10 and below this year, compared to last year, but more than in 2019.
• The pass rate across England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell for a third year running – with 67.6% of all grades at 4/C and above across the three nations.

Analysis - Bethan Lewis, education correspondent

Pupils and staff at Pencoed Comprehensive School near Bridgend were pleased overall with results this morning.

The system-wide headlines seem far removed from the individual pupils who just want to know that their grades are a fair reflection of the work they’ve put in.

But percentage changes in the all-Wales data do translate to school level.

Every school will be different but here they’ve noticed it’s been tougher this year to get a C in some subjects.

Education secretary Lynne Neagle - here to congratulate students – said she’d be taking a closer look at the data.

And addressing the growing concern over the past few months about standards, she promised there’s be announcements soon on measures to boost attainment.