How did college students in Wales do?

Today, hundreds of learners throughout Wales have obtained their A stage and vocational {qualifications} outcomes with extra learners gaining the best A* grade in comparison with final yr.

2025 is the second yr wherein outcomes are meant to be again in keeping with pre-pandemic outcomes. In the absence of exams, different preparations had been put in place to award {qualifications} in 2020 and 2021. Upon the reintroduction of exams, in 2022 and 2023 learners had been protected against extreme drops in outcomes by a gradual return to pre-pandemic outcomes by 2024. Our article on final yr’s A stage outcomes explains extra about what occurred within the transition years.

 As anticipated, the general outcomes this yr are extra in keeping with these achieved in 2019, being decrease than the distinctive years 2020 and 2021, and transition years 2022 and 2023. They are barely greater throughout the grades than in 2019 aside from grades A*-E cumulatively.

What are the outcomes for Summer 2025?

The information within the desk beneath reveals outcomes for 2025 based mostly on data published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ is a membership organisation comprising the eight largest suppliers of {qualifications} within the UK). This is provisional information and represents the place on the time that outcomes are issued. The information is topic to checking earlier than remaining information at nationwide, native authority and college stage is printed. It refers back to the variety of entries into {qualifications} and contains learners of all ages. The JCQ’s information is damaged down for every UK nation.

Qualifications Wales, the unbiased regulator of {qualifications} beneath diploma stage, additionally publishes detailed information on the results in Wales.

Source: Joint Council for Qualifications, A Level Results Summer 2025

To summarise the outcomes

• Results at grade A* are 10.5%, 1.6 proportion factors greater than in 2019 and 0.4 proportion factors greater than in 2024;
• Grades A* or A are 29.5%, 3.0 proportion factors greater than in 2019 and 0.4 proportion factors decrease than in 2024;
• Grades A*-C are 77.2% which is 0.9 proportion factors greater than in 2019 and seven proportion factors greater than in 2024; and
• Grades A* to E are 97.5% 0.1 proportion factors decrease than in 2019 and 0.1 proportion factors greater than in 2024.

What’s subsequent for learners?

Whether heading to school, coaching, or employment, assist and steerage is on the market together with from:

The Welsh Government has also published some information on apprenticeships and the Young Person’s Guarantee.

The WJEC affords a post-results service for these learners whose college or school suppose that there could have been an error within the WJEC’s evaluation of the examination. The school or college can apply for a review.

We’ve printed funding guides that set out info on the monetary assist accessible to college students.

GCSE outcomes will probably be out subsequent Thursday and we’ll be publishing an article on these subsequent week.

Article by Sian Hughes, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament.