The overall pass rate for A-level students in Caerphilly County Borough has gone up.
The pass rate of students getting grades A* to E for 2011 was 98.0% across all examination boards – up from 97.1% in 2010 and higher than the Welsh Average of 97.2%.
The percentage of A* grades awarded to Caerphilly students has increased to 4.7%, up from 4.4% in 2010. The percentage of higher grades awarded to Caerphilly students (A* to C) remained at the 2010 level of 71.3%.
There has been a rise in the number of entries this year from 1354 to 1410, an increase of 4% compared with an increase of 1.5% across Wales
Cllr Phil Bevan, cabinet member for education, leisure and lifelong learning, said: “Our young people and their teachers deserve to be congratulated on their excellent performance. These results are due to the hard work of our students and the commitment of the teachers of Caerphilly County Borough Council.”
Across Wales, the percentage of students getting top grades has fallen to its lowest level in six years.
Students achieving A*s fell slightly from 6.5% to 6.3% while those gaining A grades fell from 24.4% last year to 23.9% this year.
The number of students taking the Welsh Baccalaureate’s Advanced Level Award has hit a record with 6,948 students.
The qualification is the equivalent of an A grade A level.
Education minister Leighton Andrews said: “Today is a day for young people across the UK to celebrate their exam results which are the product of two years’ hard work. I am extremely proud of the thousands of learners who have achieved the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma, A levels and AS levels. And of course let’s not forget the parents and teachers who have supported these young people every step of the way; they too richly deserve our congratulations.
“This year sees record numbers achieving the Welsh Baccalaureate’s Advanced Level Award. 6,948 students have achieved this qualification, compared to 4,360 last year. It is clear, as I said last year, the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification is quickly becoming embedded as the pathway of choice in Wales.
“This is great news for students and great news for Wales. The Welsh Baccalaureate develops the skills and attitudes that universities and employers demand, it also gives our young people a real edge in the competitive job markets and in securing places in university.”
Wales Figures at a glance
The Welsh Baccalaureate
- 8318 students were entered for the qualification and completed all the required elements. This is a 55% increase on the 2010 figure of 5380.
- Of this 8318, 7464 (90%) students achieved the Core certificate (cf. 4679, 87% in 2010) and 6948 (84%) achieved the full Diploma (cf. 4360 (81%) in 2010).
- Of the 131 centres entering candidates at Advanced Level, 33 are receiving their first set of Advanced Level results.
The A and AS level
- 97.2% of A-level entries resulted in a pass.
- 23.9% of A-level entries resulted in a pass at A or A*
- 86.8% of AS entries resulted in a pass.
Coleg Gwent’s Crosskeys students improved their A-level pass rate to 99.4%
Students at Crosskeys Campus, the college’s flagship site for A-level provision, sat nearly 800 exams. The pass rate is an increase of 2.3% from 2010.
A-level students at City of Newport and Ebbw Vale Campuses also received results, enjoying a cross-college pass rate of 98.4%, a 2.6% improvement on last year’s results.
Fourty-four subjects across the Campuses achieved an impressive 100% pass rate.
The overall pass rate for part time learners has increased from 89.3% in 2010 to 95.8% this year.
169 A* and A grades were achieved across Coleg Gwent. In addition, seven students notched up a full sweep of four A grades, and 14 students achieved a trio of A grades.
The overall pass rate at A* – C for full time students at Crosskeys Campus is 77.7%, an improvement on last year’s figure of 74.0%.
Coleg Gwent’s Principal Jim Bennett said: “Both staff and students should be extremely proud of themselves. These results, along with our excellent vocational results, are a superb testimony to the hard work and commitment of everyone at the college.”
Amongst those waiting eagerly for the doors of the Crosskeys Campus to open at 8.30am was 18-year-old Nichol Thompson from Pentwynmawr, near Newbridge.
The teenager said the wait was certainly worthwhile when she found she’d scooped four A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics.
She said: “I was absolutely shocked when I opened my results, I’d hoped for at least one A* so I was really surprised when I got four, it’s brilliant.”
Nichol is going to Bristol University next month to study Medicine with hopes of becoming a surgeon in the future.
Also looking forward to a bright future is 18-year-old Keyron Hickman-Lewis from Blackwood who is celebrating securing his place at Oxford with straight As in Geography, Geology, Maths and Physics.
He said: “It’s absolutely marvellous to get my results, I’ve done as well as I could ever have hoped. Coleg Gwent has been a perfect stepping stone from college to university, and my results are a testament to how fantastic it’s been here.”
Keyron will take up his place at the prestigious university in September to study Earth Sciences and Geology, after which he hopes to pursue a career in planetary science.