The percentage of A-level students getting A and A* grade in Wales has fallen for the fourth year, while the overall pass rate has remain static compared to last year.
The proportion of students getting A* or A grades fell from 23.6% last year to 22.9%. In 2009 it was 25%.
The number of pupils who gained A* to E grades remained at 97.6%.
The A and AS level results published today show that for students in Wales:
97.6% of A-level entries resulted in a pass.
75.2% of A-level entries resulted in a pass at grade A* to C.
86.2% of AS entries resulted in a pass.
Education Minister Huw Lewis said: “This is a good set of results. The A-level pass rate in Wales remains high and we are seeing steady progress in a number of different subjects, with an increasing proportion of grades awarded at grades A* to C.”
Female students have done better than their male counterparts with 98.1% of subject entries by girls getting A* toE grades, compared to 97.0% by boys.
At the highest A* grade though, the performance of boys was better than that of girls, with 6.2% of boys and 5.8% of girls gaining A*.
In addition to A-level results, a total of 8,565 received the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma.
The Welsh Baccalaureate results published today show that:
Over 10,000 learners (10,362) completed Advanced level Welsh Baccalaureate programmes this year.
9,159 learners achieved the Core certificate of the Advanced level Welsh Baccalaureate.
8,565 learners have achieved both the Core certificate and the options requirements and have been awarded the full Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma. An increase of 306 on last year.
Entries in the STEM subjects including Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics have also gone up from 7,795 in 2012 to 7,980 in 2013.
Mr Lewis added: “A-levels remain highly respected qualifications and it’s clear, particularly in terms of the STEM subjects, that our students are now starting to think further down the line about the kind of skills and qualifications they’ll need for entry into Higher Education or employment.
“It is also extremely encouraging to see our flagship Welsh Baccalaureate continuing to grow in popularity. More learners are recognising the opportunities it offers them when applying for university or when entering the work place.
“Those students who have achieved the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma have a qualification which has real currency with universities where it is widely accepted as an entry qualification for degree courses. The Welsh Baccalaureate is an additional qualification to their A levels and other advanced level qualifications achieved as part of their learning programmes.”
The overall pass rate for learners in Caerphilly County Borough schools for WJEC A-levels was 97.21% (A* to E), slightly down on the Welsh average of 97.6%. The percentage of WJEC A-level grades A* to A was 14.76% and 66.67% of WJEC A Level grades were at C or above.
Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning said she was keen to recognise the achievements of the students and teachers.
She said: “Our young people and their teachers deserve to be congratulated on their performance. The results our learners have achieved are testimony to their dedication and ability. They also reflect the quality of teaching provided within our schools, and the commitment of our teachers in helping our students achieve their maximum potential. Congratulations and well done to you all.”