Schools celebrate GCSE results day

Swansea

Year 11 students in Swansea are today celebrating results which the council say are again well above those for Wales as a whole.

The figures show 25.4% of city pupils gained A* and A grades in their WJEC subjects, which is better than the 21.7% for those in Wales as a whole.

More than 70% of students achieved the higher grades of A* to C in 22 of the 38 different subjects.

Meanwhile, the top grades of A* and A were awarded to over a third of all entrants in 16 subjects.

A total of 97.0% of GCSE subject entries in Swansea were passed (grades A* to G), and tops the Welsh pass rate for 2023 of 96.9%.

Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Learning, Robert Smith, said: “Many congratulations to all the pupils who have done so well and I’m delighted that their hard work and the work of our schools and teachers has been rewarded.

“I’d congratulate all students, not just those taking GCSEs, but also our young people taking alternative options offered in many of our schools that lead to important qualifications.

“There are now many paths open to young people in Swansea whether it is continuing school or college, training or apprenticeships or going onto employment. I wish all our pupils the very best for their futures whatever they decide to do.”

Swansea Year 11 students also surpassed their counterparts in terms of the number of them gaining the higher grades in full course subjects. The figures show 67.8% of entrants here scored A* to C grades, well above the comparable figure for all-Wales for 2023 of 64.9%.

In Swansea, a total of 21,307 WJEC full course GCSE entries in summer 2023 were made in 38 different subjects/syllabuses. There were 2,622 students in Year 11 in Swansea schools this year.In 13 of the different subjects/syllabuses, all entrants from Swansea schools achieved grades A* to G – a 100% pass rate.

A pass rate of 90% or better was also recorded for 36 other subjects.In the key core subjects of Welsh First Language, English Language and Mathematics, the Swansea overall results compare very well to the national results.

For Welsh First Language, the Swansea results were A*-A 17.6%, A*-C 69.5% and A*-G 99.4%. The equivalent all-Wales figures for 2023 for Welsh First Language are 17.3%, 71.9% and 98.4%.

For Mathematics, the Swansea results were A*-A 16.4%, A*-C 55.5% and A*-G 92.9%. The equivalent all-Wales figures for 2023 for Maths are 15.2%, 53.5% and 94.3%.

For Mathematics-Numeracy the Swansea results were A*-A 17.2%, A*-C 56.2% and A*-G 93.5%. The equivalent all-Wales figures for 2023 for numeracy are 16.6%, 55.4% and 93.8%.

For English Language, the Swansea results were A*-A 21.0%, A*-C 66.2% and A*-G 98.1%. The equivalent all-Wales figures for 2023 for English are 15.8%, 60.7% and 97.5%.

For English Literature, the Swansea results were A*-A 28.0%, A*-C 79.2% and A*-G 98.8%. The equivalent all-Wales figures for 2023 for English Literature are 20.6%, 73.1% and 98.5%.  Results for Welsh Literature were 33.1% A*-A and 78.8% with A*-C, with a 100% pass rate.  (Wales 26.2% and 77.7% respectively).

For the students who entered GCSE subjects in the three separate sciences (physics, chemistry and biology), the results were good. In physics, 92.3% of Swansea students attained A*-C grades (91.1% for Wales). In chemistry the results were 86.3% in Swansea (89.1% Wales) and in biology the results in Swansea were 93.4% (90.0% Wales).

Excellent results were also recorded in History, with 647 entries. 40.0% had A*/A and 78.5% attained A*-C (Wales 33.5% and 72.5%).

Geography results were also excellent, with 483 entries. 38.5% had A*/A and 82.2% attained A*-C (Wales 32.9% and 76.5%).

Art, music and drama also recorded excellent results, with 83.5% attaining A*-C grades in Art, 87.8% in Music and 77.9% in Drama. 

In French 88.1% attained a C grade or higher, whilst in Spanish 81.9% attained these higher grades.

Results in Physical Education showed that 80.6% attained a C grade or better, with a third with A* or A grades.

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire County Council said its learners from across the county are reaping the rewards of two years of dedication and hard work, given by themselves, their teachers and support staff.  

In Carmarthenshire, 67.8% of all entries have been awarded an A*-C grade with 21.7% of entries achieving an A*-A grade. 

On receiving his results today, Matthew from Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn said “I got five A*’s, four A’s and three B’s. I’m pretty happy with my results because I can go back for sixth form. Tonight, I will be celebrating with my family and going out with my friends.”

Cllr. Glynog Davies, Carmrthenshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language said: “Congratulations to all of our young people that are receiving their GCSE results today, I am immensely proud of your hard work and achievements. 

“On behalf of Carmarthenshire County Council, I must also thank our teachers, support staff, families and friends for your support and commitment to these young people – Carmarthenshire’s future generation.” 

In a joint statement, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Chief Executive, Wendy Walters and Director of Education and Children’s Services, Gareth Morgans added: “The hard work of our learners, their teachers, support staff, families and their friends is evident to see today in these fantastic results. Congratulations to you all!”

Neath Port Talbot

Neath Port Talbot Council say that pupils in the county have been rewarded for their efforts with results which fully reflect the commitment, effort and application they have put in over recent years, which have been very challenging due to the ongoing recovery from Covid-19.

GCSE and vocational qualification performance in 2023 are returning to similar pre-pandemic levels of performance with a majority of pupils in Neath Port Talbot achieving at least 5 A*-C GCSE grades or equivalent. Standards in literacy have improved since before the pandemic, whilst standards in numeracy are very similar to pre-pandemic outcomes.

Overall, the council said that standards achieved by the year 11 cohort of 2023 are very strong and are a clear reward of pupils’ hard work throughout their school careers.

Council Leader, Cllr Steve Hunt, said: “I am so very proud of all our young people in Neath Port Talbot and would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have supported them to achieve their results. Their parents, schools and communities must also take great pride in their achievements, and I wish them the best of luck on their next step of the journey.”

Councillor Nia Jenkins, Cabinet Member for Education & Early Years added: “Schools in Neath Port Talbot have again secured very good results in the face of many changes and challenges. I would like to congratulate all pupils on their success.  I have confidence in our teaching workforce and am assured that pupils can take their key stage 4 qualifications as a sound basis to enter their next phase of education, employment or training.”