Swansea and Carmarthenshire both improved on last year’s GCSE results on Thursday, with the city’s top grades rising for the first time in three years and the county’s pass rate climbing above the Wales average, while Neath Port Talbot said the majority of its pupils achieved at least five good grades.
Across Wales, 62.3% of entries were A* to C, a fraction down on 2025, and 19.6% were A* or A, a fraction up.
Swansea: top grades back on the rise
23% of entries in Swansea schools were graded A* or A, Swansea Council said, against 19.6% across Wales.
That is up from 22.2% in 2025 and ends a slide from 25.4% in 2023 and 23.4% in 2024, as grading across Wales tightened after the pandemic.
97.7% of the city’s entries were passed at A* to G, up from 97.4% and ahead of the Wales rate of 96.8%. More than 65% of entries reached A* to C in 28 of the 40 subjects offered, the council said; as last year, it gave no single A* to C figure.
Cllr Robert Smith, cabinet member for education and learning, said: “Many congratulations to all the pupils who have done so well and whose hard work has been rewarded today.” He congratulated students completing vocational and alternative qualifications too, “which provide important routes into further education, training and employment”.
Carmarthenshire: up on both measures
63.4% of entries in Carmarthenshire schools were A* to C, Carmarthenshire Council said, up from 62.4% last year and above the Wales figure. 18.8% were A* or A, up from 17.3% but still short of the national 19.6%.
Last summer the county sat a tenth of a point below the Wales pass rate; this year it sits more than a point above. Both figures remain below 2024’s 66.9% and 20.2%.
Among those collecting results was Mia, a pupil at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo. “I’m really happy with my results,” she said. “I’m going to college this year to do biology, psychology and PE.”
Cllr Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education and Welsh language, said the results reflected “the collective support of dedicated teachers, support staff, parents, families and friends who have encouraged and guided our young people along the way”.
Neath Port Talbot: most pupils achieve five good grades
Neath Port Talbot Council said the majority of its Year 11s achieved at least five A* to C grades or the equivalent, and described the cohort’s overall standard as “strong”. The council did not publish percentage figures.
Cllr Nia Jenkins, cabinet member for education and early years, said: “Schools in Neath Port Talbot have delivered good outcomes once again.” Council leader Cllr Steve Hunt thanked “families, parents, school staff and wider communities”.
Photographs released by the council show pupils at Ysgol Bae Baglan in Port Talbot opening their envelopes this morning.
For anyone in the county weighing up their next step, the council’s Employment Support Team is running drop-in sessions at the Opportunity Hubs in Aberavon Shopping Centre and at 8 Wind Street, Neath, on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 August, no appointment needed. Advisers are also on 01639 860160 or jobsupport@npt.gov.uk.
Across Wales, and the new GCSEs
The Wales figures arrive a week after A level results rose on every measure, and Swansea’s sixth forms beat the Wales average for top A level grades then too.
Today is also the first results day for the reformed Curriculum for Wales GCSEs, with Year 10s receiving their first grades in maths and numeracy, English and Cymraeg. Dr Llinos Jones, head of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthen, voiced concern this week about the pace of that change.
Working Wales and Careers Wales offer free advice across Wales, WJEC’s results day page carries grade boundaries and an appeals guide, and students in Swansea can still claim a free meal on Wind Street today.
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