GCSE Results in Wales

This is what we've been told so far:

Conwy
The Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning, Cllr. Wyn Jones, and the Chief Education Officer, Mr R. Geraint James, have issued the following statement:

"It is pleasing to note that Conwy students have maintained the overall high pass rate achieved in previous years, with a continued increase in the percentage of students achieving grades A*-A. Conwy students recorded a significant score of 66.7% for the higher grades A* - C, which exceeded the all Wales score of 65.5%.

We congratulate those students who have achieved the results they have worked so hard to attain. We thank the teaching staff for providing such valuable professional support to our students."


Cardiff
Early indications from the WJEC of the outcomes of this year’s GCSE examinations show pupils in Cardiff have made very good progress again this year, producing their best ever results.

The percentage of grades A*-G awarded increased in 2009 by 0.3% to 98.1%, ahead of the smaller improvement in the all-Wales figure. The percentage achieving the higher grades A*-C in Cardiff, at 66.6%, was 1.2% better than in 2008 and also ahead of the all-Wales figures.

Over a fifth of the grades awarded (21.1%) were the highest grades (A*/A) with the percentage in Cardiff being 2.2% better than the all-Wales figure.

Councillor Freda Salway, Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning said: “Another bumper year and another round of hearty congratulations for all our young people. I am delighted with these results and there is no doubt they are down to the huge amounts of hard work and commitment shown by both the pupils and their teachers. It seems 2009 will prove to be our strongest performance yet and I am thrilled to be able to praise everyone involved for the massive effort that’s been rewarded today.

“We are committed to ensuring everyone, whatever their starting point, has the opportunity to succeed during their time in school. As we celebrate the successes of our pupils and their families, on behalf of the council, I wish them all the very best for their future achievements in education or training.”

Chris Jones, Chief Schools and Lifelong Learning Officer said: “These early results suggest the grades awarded in 2009 will be Cardiff’s best ever. These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of pupils and teachers alike and bode well for the continuing improvements in standards we are committed to achieving on behalf of all our young people”.

Denbighshire
Denbighshire is delighted as early analysis of the results recorded by schools show that the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A* - C is 58%, which is 7% higher than last year.

Early indications show that the total percentage of GCSE A*-C passes in Denbighshire this year is 65.6%, 4.6% higher than last year and 0.1% higher than the Wales average. This increase is significantly higher than the 0.5% increase across Wales.

The percentage of A* and A grades has also increased by 1.5% to 17.1%,

The total percentage of GCSE (A* - G) passes in Denbighshire this year is 98.6%, an increase of 0.2% and higher than the Wales average of 98.5%

Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Cabinet Lead Member for Lifelong Learning said, "I would like to congratulate all students who have achieved the grades needed to further their education. The results this year really are excellent and show, along with the improved A-level results achieved last week, that Denbighshire is rapidly moving in the right direction and is improving at a faster rate than the Welsh average. We plan to continue to do so.

"I would also like to reaffirm the council's commitment to improving standards in education. We can see the results of everyone's hard work to improve education in Denbighshire and I am delighted that these huge efforts are making a real difference to our young people."


Wrexham
Wrexham pupils are celebrating success as GCSE and vocational examination results out today are the best ever. They show that educational standards have improved in the county borough for the fifth successive year.

GCSE passes at grades A*-C and grades A* - G have increased again in Wrexham. There were 56.9% passes at grades A* - C. This is an improvement of 0.6% on last years results in the county borough. There were 98.5% passes at grades A* - G, which is 0.3% up on 2008. At both A*-C and A*-G, the rate of improvement in Wrexham is above the national rate.

1374 pupils sat over 50 different subjects at GCSE and gained qualifications in over 20 vocational courses.

Almost 90% of Wrexham pupils gained the Level 1 threshold and 54% achieved the level 2 threshold. These results are about 1.5% and 1% higher than last year respectively, reflecting the wide range of qualifications pupils have studied. Thresholds are relatively new performance measures that take into account all qualifications, including GCSE, vocational qualifications and key skills. The Level 1 threshold is a volume of qualifications equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grade D – G. The Level 2 threshold is a volume of qualifications equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grade A* - C.

Pupils and teachers, with support from parents, have worked hard to achieve these good results and to sustain improvements. The results also include a wide range of vocational qualifications that many Wrexham pupils have taken in schools and with Yale College, the Youth Service and other partners.

One of the Council’s key priorities is to improve results at Key Stage 4 (15-16 year olds). Councillors have set down ambitious performance targets for schools and it is pleasing to see how well, with the support of the Council, they have responded to this challenge to improve educational standards across the board year on year.

Councillor Aled Roberts, Leader and Lead Member for School and Corporate Parenting said, “These results show a further improvement in the performance of Wrexham students. The Council has invested heavily in improving educational achievement and the strategies and investment that are in place are helping to sustain progress. I should like to congratulate all the students for their achievements and also thank those who have worked to support them during this critically important time.”

“These are very good results across the board and there have been some outstanding achievements by individual pupils of all abilities. I congratulate teachers, pupils and parents on this year’s improved performance and wish them all well for the future. We will all continue to support and challenge schools in their work to raise standards for all young people in Wrexham”.

Anglesey
Anglesey's Corporate Director of Education and Leisure is very pleased with this year's GCSE results.

Richard Parry Jones said, "The GCSE results in the Anglesey schools are very good again this year and the students are to be warmly congratulated for their hard work and commitment. The percentage gaining grades A*-C has increased from last year to 68.3% whilst the percentage gaining the higher grades [A*and A] has increased to 20.5% - both figures are higher than the Wales average.

"It is also pleasing that the percentage gaining grades A*-G continues to be above 99% - this reflects the priority given to inclusion, equal opportunity and the success of pupils as individuals in the schools. We should be very proud of these results."

The Director noted that the results in all subjects were pleasing. Whilst noting the need to interpret examination statistics with care, especially in subjects where the number of entries is low, he referred to the performance in individual subjects.

Mr Jones added, "It is very difficult to draw any conclusions from raw examination figures. It is however pleasing to note that the A*-C percentages in the core subjects [Welsh, English, Mathematics and Science] are good which reflects the emphasis placed on developing pupils' basic skills. In addition, the percentage of pupils gaining grades A*-C in Art, Catering, French, German, Information Technology, Physical Education, Religious Studies and Health and Social care is also very good."

The results were also welcomed by Education portfolio holder, Councillor Goronwy Parry MBE.

Cllr Parry said, "These results are very good - the pupils are to be warmly congratulated. The success of every one of our young people is vitally important. I would like to thank the teachers for their hard work throughout the year and for preparing the students so thoroughly for the examinations."

Newport
Newport City Council is congratulating GCSE students and school staff on their 2009 results today.

This year’s GCSE results from Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) have matched our best ever results which were achieved last year.

The provisional results show that 96.5 per cent of Newport pupils achieved an overall pass rate of A*-G. At the higher grades A*-C the pass rate was 62.6 per cent. The proportion of children achieving the top A*-A grades was 20.7 per cent (1.8 per cent above the Welsh average).

Brett Pugh, Chief Education Officer said:

“The consolidation shown in this year’s GCSE results is a wonderful example of the continued hard work of our students and teachers. These results will help to further the opportunities for young people in the current economic climate.”

Councillor David Hando, Cabinet Member for Young People’s Services said:

“Pupils and staff in our schools have met the challenge of maintaining excellent standards at GCSE. I am delighted that our best ever achievements have been consolidated. Everyone involved in working towards these results deserves the heartiest congratulations.”

Powys
Yet again pupils have achieved excellent GCSE results in Powys in the 2009 WJEC examinations.

More than 7 out of 10 results (72 per cent) are at grades A*-C, representing the best ever performance for Powys schools. Results at grades A*-C have increased by almost one per cent while results at the higher grades A*-B are similar to last year at 43 per cent.

The percentage of grades A*-C in Powys is nearly seven per cent, more than in Wales as a whole. The overall pass rate of grades A*-G is similar to last year’s record level at just over 99 per cent, nearly one per cent higher than the all-Wales pass rate of a little over 98 per cent.

This year’s results at the highest grades A*-A at 22 per cent are over three per cent more than in Wales as a whole. The percentage of results at grades A*-B at 43 per cent is more than five per cent higher than in Wales. Little change is expected in the overall figures when results from other Examination Boards are added as approximately 90 per cent of examination entries are with WJEC.

These results exceed the high standards seen in previous years’ performance and remain consistently well above the all-Wales averages.

In addition, many pupils have also achieved equivalent qualifications in vocational subjects.

Councillor David Jones, portfolio holder for Schools and Inclusion, and Councillor Kath Roberts- Jones, Chair of People Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Powys, said “our warm congratulations go to all pupils for achieving such excellent results which demonstrate their great commitment and hard work. This is made possible by the support they receive from dedicated teaching staff in all our schools and also from their families.”

Gwynedd
Gwynedd Council has paid tribute to all of the County's students who have worked so hard and achieved excellent result in their GCSE exams this year.

As she congratulated all the students on their achievement, Councillor Liz Saville Roberts, the Education Portfolio Leader for Gwynedd Council said:

"The GCSE results once again are good and are testament to the hard work and dedication of our young people, teachers and parents. We can be very proud of the educational success of young people which is vitally important to the future of the County.

"I would like to congratulate everyone who has succeeded in the examinations, and in particular those who have worked consistently to achieve their potential - this is not highlighted in raw figures and statistics. I would like to wish each and every one the very best in the next stage of their education and training. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank teachers for their hard work and dedication in supporting and inspiring young people in Gwynedd."

Dewi R. Jones, Head of Gwynedd Council's Education Department added:
"Once again, we can be very proud of the GCSE results in the schools. The percentage that have passed, gaining grades A*-G, is 98.4% and is higher than the national figure - this reflects the priority given to inclusion in our schools. In addition, the percentage gaining the higher grades [A*and A] is now 19.8% and grades A*-C is 69.4% - these figures are significantly higher than the national figures. The GCSE results for 2009 are good and pupils and staff are to be congratulated on their efforts and success."

"The results in all subjects are good but it is pleasing to note that the A*-C percentages in Welsh, English, Mathematics and Science are good once again this year which reflects the emphasis schools place on developing pupils' basic skills. The results in French, Religious Studies, Music and Drama are also good. I am also very pleased with the pupils' success in vocational courses such as Hospitality and Catering, Leisure and Tourism and Health and Social Care."

Caerphilly
Provisional WJEC examination board results for Caerphilly CBC schools show an improvement in the percentage of passes at A* to C to 61.1%, from 60.8% in 2008. This consolidates the significant gains made last year and is the best performance to date.

The overall pass rate of 97.9 per cent (grades A* to G) is approximately in line with last year's performance, falling by 0.4 percentage points. Similarly the percentage of grades awarded at either A* or A remained stable at 16.8% maintaining the considerable gains made in 2008.

Additionally, the percentage of young people who achieved 5 passes at A*-C across all GCSE examination boards was 51.1%, up from 50.9% in 2008.

The grades achieved in Caerphilly this year show a degree of consistency in comparison with last year and reflect the national trend.

These results are for GCSE examinations only and do not yet take into account the outcomes of a broad range of vocational pathways that have been followed by the young people of Caerphilly. When these are included in the new Level 1 and Level 2 threshold indicators, which will be published in October, further gains are expected.

The Director of Education Sandra Aspinall said "This year's results consolidate the considerable progress made by Caerphilly's schools in 2008. They reflect both the dedication and abilities of our young people, and the commitment of teachers within our schools. They are also testimony to the authority's strategy to provide a wide range of curriculum options as part of the Learning Pathways 14-19 Agenda which we believe provides the most appropriate learning opportunities for all of our young people."

Cabinet member for the education Cllr Phil Bevan was keen to recognise the achievement of the pupils and their teachers. He said, "Our young people and their teachers deserve to be congratulated on their performance. The results are due to the hard work and abilities of our students and the commitment and dedication of the teachers of Caerphilly CBC."

Pembrokeshire
GCSE results in Pembrokeshire maintained their high levels of recent years with an A* - C pass rate of 65.6 per cent which continues to be above the Wales average.

Pembrokeshire's overall pass rate (A* - G) is 98.7 per cent, maintaining improvements made over the last five years. This is above the Welsh pass rate of 98.5 per cent.

The percentage of candidates achieving A* and A grades in Pembrokeshire was 19 per cent, in line with the Welsh average (18.9 per cent). This maintains the substantial improvements in recent years.

Pembrokeshire County Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Learning and Welsh Language, said: "I would like to congratulate this year's students who have worked extremely hard to achieve these results."

"Their success is due to the commitment of both students and staff. I would like to thank them all and wish these youngsters every success in the future."

Gareth Mills, Pembrokeshire County Council's Change Manager, described them as "a very pleasing set of results."

"WJEC results continue to maintain the high level of achievement in Pembrokeshire" he said.

"Most pleasing is the performance in the core subjects of English, Maths, Science and Welsh in Pembrokeshire, which lay a firm foundation for many youngsters to progress onto post-16 education and training."

Swansea
School students across the City and County of Swansea have received the results of more than 25,000 GCSE exams taken this summer.

Overall statistics reveal that the area's students performed well when compared to the rest of Wales.

Cllr Mike Day, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Education, said: "The results show that 2009 has been another outstanding year for Swansea's GCSE students.

"I congratulate them and all those involved in the hard work leading up to these exams.

"These results show that Swansea's students are more than holding their own when compared to their contemporaries across the country."

A total of 98.7% of Welsh Joint Examination Committee GCSE exam entries in Swansea resulted in passes (grades A* to G). The Wales figure was 98.5%.

A figure of 69.1% (68.9% in 2008) achieved the higher grades of A* to C. The Wales figure was 65.5%.

The highest grades of A* and A were awarded to 20% of Swansea entries (Wales-18.9%).

Some subjects saw more than 90% of entrants achieve the higher grades of A*to C. These included Sociology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Applied Information Technology.

Subjects with over 80% of entrants with grades A* to C included Art & Design (Photography), Business Studies, Drama, Welsh First Language, Welsh Literature, Welsh Second Language, Applied Business, and Health & Social Care.

In 21 subjects, all entrants from Swansea schools achieved pass grades A* to G- a 100% pass rate. These were Art & Design (four different syllabuses), Drama, German, Home Economics (food), Additional Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Sociology, Spanish, Welsh First Language, Welsh Second Language, Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Electronics, Applied Business and Applied Information Technology.

A pass rate of 95% or better was also recorded for 50 other full and short-course subjects.

In the key core subjects of English Language and Mathematics, the Swansea overall results compare well to 2008 and national results.

For English Language, the Swansea results were A* to A 13.5% (Swansea 2008 -12.9%; Wales 2009 - 12.7%), A* to C 66.0% (Swansea 2008 - 69.8%, Wales 2009 - 60.4%) and A* to G 99.2% (Swansea 2008 - 99.0%, Wales 2009 - 98.8%).

For Mathematics, the Swansea results were A* to A 21.6% (Swansea 2008 - 20%, Wales 2009 - 14%), A* to C 61.8% (Swansea 2008 - 62%, Wales 2009 - 53.9%) and A* to G 98% (Swansea 2008 - 98.8%, Wales 2009 - 97.4%).