‘You should be incredibly proud’: Congratulations from Drakeford as nearly half get top A-level grades

The First Minister Mark Drakeford has praised the achievements of students all over Wales as A-level results showed that nearly half got the top A grades.

Results for Wales show that a total of 48.3% of grades, decided by teachers, were A* and A. 99.1% of learners achieved A* – E grades, up from 97.6% in 2019, with 21.3% of candidates achieving a A*.

After examinations for summer 2021 were cancelled in response to the pandemic, schools and colleges determined learner’s grades with teachers setting their own assessments.

Just to show how A levels have changed in #Wales since the pandemic…

The number of people getting the top grades (A or A*) has increased massively. It’s almost doubled since 2019.

Do you think this is fair on previous A level students? pic.twitter.com/EILZVQH1dC

— Peter Gillibrand (@GillibrandPeter) August 10, 2021

“Congratulations and good luck to everyone in Wales receiving their results today,” Mark Drakeford said.

“You should be incredibly proud of your achievements, especially over this challenging year. I wish you the very best as you start the next exciting chapter of your lives.”

‘Best of luck’

Education Minister Jeremy Miles reassured students that their grades reflected the work they had put in.

“I hope everyone who received their grades today feels immensely proud of their remarkable achievement,” he said.

“This year has been like no other and you’ve had to make many sacrifices. You have had to deal with so much disruption to your studies over the past 18 months, but have shown tremendous resilience and determination to continue your learning. You have also played an incredibly important role in keeping your classmates, teachers and communities safe.

“While your experiences and the way in which you have been assessed have been different, the value of these qualifications is not. You can can be sure that your grades reflect your hard work throughout this year, and you fully deserve the qualifications you receive.

“Our school and college staff have also been tremendous, working incredibly hard and under a lot of pressure to deliver and mark learners’ assessments.

“The most important thing this year is that learners are able to progress to the next stage of their education, training or their work careers.

“Best of luck to you all in whatever your future holds.”