WALES saw its highest ever percentage of students achieving A* at A-level this year.

The proportion that were awarded A*s is has risen to 8.7 percent, while the proportion of students receiving an A or above has risen to 26.3 percent.

Boys tended to outperform girls in reaching the very highest grades, with 26.6 percent of boys being awarded an A or A*, compared to 26 percent of girls. However, girls achieved a higher proportion of passes, with 98 percent of girls receiving a grade of A*-E.

Overall, there has been a decline in the number of both AS and A-levels awarded this year, with the number of A-levels awarded falling 2.6 percent, from 35,525 in 2017 to 33,640.

Head of Research Tom Anderson said: “The fall in entries can be explained by a number of factors. The main factor is the overall decline in the population of the age groups that most commonly take these qualifications.

“Other factors may include a reduction in the number of qualifications taken by students, or more choosing to study vocational qualifications, enter training or starting apprenticeships rather than do A levels” he said.

German (47.1 percent), Maths (42.2 percent) and French (37.7 percent) saw the highest percentage of A and A* grades awarded. Spanish saw the biggest rise in students receiving the top two grades with a 13.3 percent rise on results from 2017.

For students taking the Welsh Baccalaureate, there has been an increase in the entries for the new Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate this year, up to 12,015. Of these, 21.5 per cent achieved A*-A grades, an increase of 5.8 per cent when compared with 2017.

This summer saw new A-levels being awarded in ten newly reformed subjects, including: Drama, French, Geography, German, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Religious Studies, Spanish, and Welsh Second Language.