Drop in number of Welsh A-level students achieving top grades

The number of students achieving top grades has fallen with the percentage of candidates gaining an A* 6.6% lower than in 2015. This comes as other A-level results for Wales remain stable.

The total number of A-level examination entries in Wales was 35,537 - slightly lower than in 2015 - with the percentage of students achieving A* - E grades stable on 97.3%.

As in following years, girls continue to outperform boys in Wales except at A* grade. The number of girls achieving A* - E grades stands at 97.9% compared to 96.5% for boys.