JUST over a quarter of GCSE results in Wales are at grade A or A*, Qualifications Wales has said.

The results are for exams sat this summer, with pupils the first to have sat exams since 2019 with the pandemic having meant teacher assessed grades were awarded in 2020 and last year.

The body responsible for regulating qualifications has saidresults are broadly midway between the results in 2019 when exams were last held, and the results in 2021, when teachers determined grades.

This approach to grading was announced at the start of this academic year and is the same as the approach taken in England. 

Qualifications Wales said 25.1% of grades issued were at A/7 (figures are used for grades by English qualifation bodies) or above, with 68.6%  grade C/4 or above and 97.3% were grade G/1 or above.

Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) – covering GCSE entries from students predominantly in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – showed top grades of 7/A have fallen from 28.9% in 2021 to 26.3% this year, a drop of 2.6 percentage points.

But this remains higher than the equivalent figure for 2019 of 20.8%.

Qualifications Wales says it worked with others in the education system to identify the fairest way to assess learners this year.

A package of support was put in place to take account of the disruption caused by the pandemic and the return towards pre-pandemic assessment methods.

GCSEs were adapted this year to give learners extra support and address the loss of teaching and learning time.

Exams were also graded more generously to recognise that learners have had the "most extraordinary" two years leading up to their exams.

Its chief exexutive Philip Blaker said: "We’ve worked closely with WJEC to agree procedures for awarding GCSE grades that incorporate established practices while ensuring a safety net for learners.

"We’ve also made sure that the grading process is consistent with GCSE qualifications in other jurisdictions to support learners to progress to the next stage of their lives.”

“We know that learners were anxious about the return to exams, but overall, the exam series has gone well. We would particularly like to thank all the schools and colleges for their hard work and dedication.”

Welsh education minister Jeremy Miles said: “I welcome these results as we transition back to exams this year – it’s great to see what our learners have achieved."

Meanwhile, exam board Pearson warned this week that thousands of students could miss out on being issued BTec (Business and Technology Education Council) results on Thursday.

It said that changes this year, made in order to take into account disruption to teaching and learning during the pandemic, had “added more complexity to the process” and that without full information they are unable to award students their results.

GCSE results across the UK.

Here are the percentage of GCSE entries awarded the top grades (7/A or above) by nation and region, with the equivalent figures for 2021 and the pre-pandemic year of 2019:

  • Wales 68.6% (2021: 73.6%; 2019: 62.8%)
  • North-east England 22.4% (2021: 24.5%; 2019: 16.4%)
  • North-west England 23.1% (2021: 25.9%; 2019: 18.6%)
  •  Yorkshire & the Humber 22.4% (2021: 24.4%; 2019: 17.8%)
  •  West Midlands 22.8% (2021: 25.3%; 2019: 18.1%)
  • East Midlands 22.5% (2021: 25.1%; 2019: 18.3%)
  • Eastern England 26.2% (2021: 28.5%; 2019: 20.5%) 
  •  South-west England 25.3% (2021: 29.1%; 2019: 20.4%)
  • South-east England 29.2% (2021: 31.9%; 2019: 23.5%)
  • London 32.6% (2021: 34.5%; 2019: 25.7%) 
  • England 26.0% (2021: 28.5%; 2019: 20.7%) 
  • Northern Ireland 37.0% (2021: 39.9%; 2019: 30.5%)
  • All 26.3% (2021: 28.9%; 2019: 20.8%)