Pupils’ delight with A-levels
SCHOOLS and pupils across the Cynon Valley have been celebrating again this year with another crop of top A-level achievements.
And across the country as a whole, Wales has also outperformed the English regions and Northern Ireland at A* and at A*-A.
IT WAS a successful A-levels day at Aberdare Community School.
Almost 60% of learners achieved three or more A-levels at the grade of A*-C, and 13% of learners achieved three or more A*-A grades or equivalent.
Headteacher Carol Morgans said: “These young people need to be congratulated for their tremendous achievements.
“We are delighted with our pupils’ success and wish them well for the future.”
Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun said its pass rate stood at 96%, and nearly 70% of all grades achieved were between A*-C.
The number of higher grades also increased.
Headteacher Mark Jones said: “We are delighted with the results this year. This is a credit to our students who have worked hard in and beyond lessons over the last two years.
“We wish them the best of luck in the next stage of their careers.”
At Mountain Ash Comprehensive School, 96% of students achieved at least two A-levels (or equivalents) at A*-E grades.
Students also performed well in the Skills Challenge Certificate, with 88% gaining at least a C grade.
Headteacher Samantha Evans said: “I am so proud of our students, staff and parents. The students have worked extremely hard and have been rewarded with some outstanding results.
“All students have secured places a universities and colleges and a number have also obtained some sought-after apprenticeships.”
Wales achieved record top marks in this year’s A-level results, with the highest-ever number of A*s awarded since the grade was introduced in 2010.
It is the second year running Wales has pushed up the top mark, with 9.1% of all grades awarded at A*, compared to last year’s 8.7%, the previous record.
The top marks come as Wales completes its reform of A-levels this year. In contrast, the proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has fallen to the lowest for more than a decade in England and Northern Ireland.
Wales has outperformed the English regions and Northern Ireland at A* and at A*-A, although increasing differences in exams across the borders make comparisons harder.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said: “We’ve seen a positive set of results this year, with a historically strong performance across the board for all grades. The record number of A*-A shows our top-performing students are really flourishing and reaching their full potential.
“I’m also pleased to see the continuing increase in the number of students taking science subjects, which will help meet the demand in many of our key industries into the future.”
As Wales outperformed England and Northern Ireland with top grades, the Minister sought to reassure students that Wales’ reformed A-levels are of equal value.
In England and Northern Ireland 8.2% of boys and 7.5% of girls achieved A*s and a total 25.5% of entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, compared to 27% in Wales.
Wales also outperformed England for the first time at A*-C by 0.9 percentage points.
Ms Williams said: “What we do via our independent exams regulator Qualifications Wales, working with exam boards across the UK, gives us absolute confidence that A-levels sat in the Welsh system is equivalent to England and Northern Ireland. There is no suggestion at all that exams here are easier.”
Under reforms in England, A-levels are now linear and there are no AS levels counting towards the final result. In Wales A-level qualifications consist of Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and A2 units. The AS is a standalone qualification and also contributes 40% towards the full A-level qualification.
The minister said the results showed work to improve results of top performers is paying off.
Action has been taken since a reactively poor set of A-level results in 2015 which led to the launch of the Seren network, among other things, to increase numbers of students from Wales going to Oxbridge and top Russell Group universities.
Responding to a fall in entries for arts and humanities subjects compared to STEM, she said students were taking subjects needed for jobs.
Ms Williams said: “Arts and humanities are still incredibly popular but today’s students are looking to future careers, know they require science qualifications and are responding.”
She said curriculum reform in Wales in the coming years will have an impact on qualifications but “nothing in our curriculum reform will prevent students post-16 being able to pursue A-level subjects”.