GCSE passes up but top grades fall

GCSE results reveal an overall pass rate of 98.7% in Wales this year, with A*-C grades remaining stable at 66.6%.

But A*-A grades have fallen by 0.2%, compared with that in 2014.

• Read more: GCSE results for A*-C grades remain stable in Wales

Official figures have revealed how the English regions fared in terms of their GCSE results this year.

• North-east England saw the biggest year-on-year rise in the number of candidates receiving grade C or above.
• East Midlands and south-east England were the only two regions to show a fall in the number of candidates receiving grade C or above.
• London showed the biggest rise in candidates getting A* or A
• South-east England showed the greatest fall.

The head of the Joint Council for Qualifications has said there is very little change in this year's GCSE results but education policies are continuing to impact on entry patterns and results.

• Read: GCSEs - More achieve grade C or above but top grades fall

The proportion of GCSEs awarded at least a C grade has risen again this year, but top grades have fallen for the fourth year in a row, according to official figures.

They also reveal:

• In total, almost seven in 10 (69%) entries were awarded A*-C, up 0.2 percentage points on 2014.
• There was a 0.1% point drop in A* grades - the fourth year running that there has been a fall - with 6.6% of entries given the highest mark this year.
• 73.1% of girls' entries awarded at least a C grade, compared to 64.7% of boys'.
• The numbers of students taking languages at GCSE has fallen.Entries for French were down 6.2%, German entries were down 9.2% and Spanish down 2.4%. But grades for languages have improved.

• Read: GCSE results: What you can do next