Thousands wait for A-levels results in Wales

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-33885009

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Thousands of students in Wales are preparing to receive their A-level results.

Last year, the proportion achieving the highest grades rose for the first time in five years although the overall pass rate fell.

The number of pupils who gained A* was 6.7% in 2014 - the highest since the grade was introduced in 2010.

But the proportion of students achieving A* to E grades fell slightly to 97.5%.

Those in education will be watching to see if Wales continues to narrow the gap with England, and also if girls are continuing to outperform boys.

Last year there was an increase for the first time in five years in the numbers getting either As or A*s .

There had been a concern for a number of years about the low numbers getting top grades.

This year, the core element of the Welsh Bacc will also be graded for the first time, from A* to C following concerns about the usefulness of the old pass, fail or distinction system.

Just under 11,500 pupils took A-levels in Wales last year, with Maths and History proving to be the most popular subjects to take.

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