Commenting on the Wales GCE A/AS Level Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate results,Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in Wales, said:

“Congratulations to the young people and their teachers who have worked so hard to deliver another year of excellent results.

“The future of many of our young people will be influenced by these results, so today we need to celebrate the success and achievement of students following their hard work throughout these courses.

“Our young people are succeeding under tremendous pressure.

“It is a testament to the hard work of teachers in Wales that they have achieved these excellent results against a backdrop of ever tighter school and college budgets and at a time of unprecedented change to the qualification system.

“Despite these challenging circumstances, teachers have pulled out all the stops to ensure that young people are supported to achieve their best.

“It is positive for young people trying to decide on their next steps following today’s results that more university places are available this year, but equal focus needs to be placed on creating alternative pathways to higher education such as high quality apprenticeships and work placements which carry equal status with employers, young people and the wider public.”

Rex Phillips, NASUWT National Official Wales, said:

“Today is about celebrating the success of our students in Wales and the dedication and devotion of their teachers.

“There will be time enough to undertake more analysis to look at the improved outcomes across all grades at AS and within the Welsh Baccalaureate, the slight dip in A-level results, and the trends in subject entries, where there has been a fall in some creative subjects and modern foreign languages.  

“However, it is the value to the student of the qualification gained, whether it is an A* or D, that is by far the most important factor in measuring success and we should be celebrating their achievement.”