A LEVEL RESULTS: Top grades and pass rate both up as students across Wales collect results

Students across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire are collecting their A level, AS and vocational results this morning, with grades in Wales up on last year.

97.7% of A level students in Wales achieved grades A* to E, up from 97.5% in 2025, exam board WJEC said.

The proportion achieving the top A* grade rose to 10.7%, up from 10.5% last year and well above the 8.9% recorded in 2019, the last year of exams before the pandemic.

29.6% of grades in Wales were A* or A, up from 29.5% last year, and slightly ahead of England, where 28.3% of grades hit the top two marks. Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland together, top grades rose for the third year running.

At AS level, 90.7% of students achieved grades A to E, with 22.5% achieving grade A. In the Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales, 97.4% achieved A* to E and 8.0% an A*.

The Welsh Government said the number of A and AS level entries also increased this year compared with 2025.

Cefin Campbell, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, spent the morning at Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest meeting students collecting their results.

“Llongyfarchiadau, congratulations, to everyone receiving their results today,” he said. “You should be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved. Whether you’re heading to university, an apprenticeship, employment or exploring your next steps, plenty of exciting opportunities lie ahead.”

He also thanked teachers and education staff, whose “unwavering support” he said had played a vital role in students’ achievements.

For those whose results were not what they wanted, he said: “Remember they don’t define your future and it’s not the end of the road. There are lots of options open to you and support is available through Working Wales, part of Careers Wales, your school or college, to help you find the path that’s right for you.”

“Pob lwc and enjoy the rest of your summer.”

There is room to move for those rethinking their plans. UCAS said a record 228,990 UK 18-year-olds were accepted at their first-choice university this morning, up 1% on last year, with a further 31,770 placed at their insurance choice.

That means 79% of offer-holders getting a decision today secured their first choice, down from 82% last year, with another 13% getting their insurance place and around 27,000 courses available in clearing.

UCAS chief executive Dr Jo Saxton told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that students who missed their grades “can absolutely still go to university in the autumn”, and that clearing is also used by applicants wanting to trade up or move closer to home.

Careers advisers from Working Wales have already helped some of this year’s school leavers into their next steps, including a Neath teenager starting a DWP apprenticeship and a Port Talbot 16-year-old planning a future helping deaf teenagers.

Ian Morgan, chief executive of WJEC, congratulated students and thanked school and college staff for their “dedication, professionalism, and commitment to supporting learners every step of the way”.

He said the results marked “an important milestone and the beginning of an exciting new chapter” whether students were heading to higher education, training, apprenticeships or employment.

WJEC has published grade boundaries, a guide to appeals and advice contacts on its results day webpage. And students in Swansea can claim a free meal on Wind Street today, whatever their grades.

GCSE results follow next Thursday, 20 August.