Students in Wales top of class

A-level students in Wales are celebrating their best ever results, recording a 94% pass rate and surpassing students in England.

The numbers of students achieving A grades also improved and the results for the new controversial AS-level exams were also encouraging.

The relief for some students is immense

Teachers had been concerned the pilot qualification would prove too much of a strain alongside the traditional A-levels.

Wales's 20,000 students woke to receive their official results, after months of mocks, revision and exams.

For many, there will be no retakes, as the new AS-level is phased in, so results are crucial towards gaining university places and jobs.

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Amid the foot-and-mouth crisis, 560 students asked for special dispensation for their plight from examining boards.

The results across Wales showed a half percentage point improvement on last year, at 94.3%.

But criticisms that the exams are becoming easier have been dismissed by the Welsh Joint Education Committee, who insist that standards in both the old A-levels and new AS-levels, have been impressive.

A-level results in Wales

Overall pass rate A-E - 94.3%

A-C pass rate - 67%

A grade pass - 23%

AS pass rate - 90%

Cardiff - A-E: 94%; A-C: 68%; A grade: 24%

Carmarthenshire - A-E: 95.9%; A-C: 69.2%; A grade: 24.6%

There has been much interest about the widely publicised AS- levels, which have been introduced this year.

Although teachers, students and some academics voiced concerns at the volume of work students have covered, examiners in Wales are satisfied with the standards achieved.

In both A and AS-level results, students in Wales have outperformed their counterparts in England.

Girls sitting exams have again done particularly well and the gender divide continues to be an issue for headteachers to resolve.

Jane Davidson: AS results are 'encouraging'

Welsh Assembly Education Minister Jane Davidson said: "I am delighted that our A-level results have again improved and I congratulate all of the students and teachers in Wales on their efforts.

"The increase in students achieving pass marks is very pleasing and the increased proportion achieving at grade A powerful testament to their hard work and that of their teachers."

She added the AS results were "very encouraging".

Local authorities across Wales will be delighted with crop of results.

In Cardiff, the 94% pass rate mirrored the national average and 24% of students achieved a grade A - one per cent above the Welsh average.

Welsh students are celebrating their results

The A-C pass rate of 68% was also an improvement of one-and-half percentage points on last year's figure.

The AS results revealed 24% of Cardiff students gained a grade A, with the numbers gaining A, B and C grades at 69% and and overall pass rate of 92%, compared with the Wales average of 90%.

In Ceredigion, the overall pass rate for A-E was 97.6%, while 29.8% of students gained a grade A. The A-C pass rate was 74%.

The overall pass rate figures for 2001 were a 5.7% percentage point improvement on the previous year.

In Carmarthenshire, 24.6% of students were successful in achieving A grades, a 3.6% percentage point improvement on 2000. Pupils receiving grades A - C was 69.2% and the overall pass rate was an encouraging 95.9%.

Maths and chemistry students in Carmarthenshire did particularly well, with A grade results of 46.2% and 33.3% respectively.