Minister congratulates GCSE students on strong performance

20 Aug 2015 11:49 AM

Students across Wales have been congratulated by Education Minister, Huw Lewis following a strong set of GCSE and Welsh Baccalaureate results.

The Minister specifically praised Wales’ strong performance at English, Maths and Welsh.

This year’s GCSE results for students in Wales show:

• An overall pass rate of 98.7%
• The proportion of passes at grades A* - C matching last year’s record high  of  66.6%
• The proportion of A* - A passes  at 19.2%

They also show real improvements in key subjects including:

• Performance at English language A*- C for 16 year olds  increasing from 62.6% in 2014 to 64.0% in 2015
• Welsh first  language A*-C increasing from 72.7% in 2014 to 73.9% in 2015
• Welsh second language  A*-C increasing from 77.7% in 2014 to 79.4% in 2015
• Mathematics A*-C for 16 year olds increasing by 1.2% with a result of  62.8% for the 2014/15 academic year  compared to 61.6% for  the 2013/14 academic year
• Overall Science A*- C increasing from 55.8% in 2014 to 57.5% in 2015

Welsh Baccalaureate results show:

• Over 13,000 learners being awarded a Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma.
• A 4%  increase on the number of learners completing their Welsh Bacc at intermediate level compared to 2014 levels
• 11, 767 learners  achieving the full Intermediate Diploma

Speaking from a visit to Blackwood comprehensive, one of the 40 schools participating in the Welsh Government’s Schools Challenge Cymru programme, the Education Minister said:

“This year’s GCSE results show another strong performance with over two thirds of our learners achieving at least A* -C. This is the result of hard work and sustained effort by both our learners and their teachers and I wholeheartedly congratulate everyone involved on this success.

“I am particularly pleased we have seen such a strong performance at key subjects including English, Maths,  Welsh and Science.

“Our Welsh Baccalaureate  performance is also cause for celebration and means  that  13,000 plus learners now have an additional string to their bows and are equipped with skills and experiences that give them a definite edge in an increasingly competitive world.

“I have no doubt that our focus on raising standards is delivering for learners in Wales and look forward to an even higher A*- C pass rate once the full year’s results are published later this year".

Schools Challenge Cymru is the Welsh Government’s multi-million pound programme which aims to improve performance in 40 of Wales’ most challenged schools.

The forty schools are being supported by up to £20m of additional funding and a programme of individually tailored support.