GCSE grades down in Wales but up on pre-pandemic levels

  • Carole Green has been to meet some students receiving their GCSE results in Wrexham today.

GCSE grades in Wales are down, latest results show.

Although grades are higher than before the pandemic, the proportion of students being awarded top grades has fallen compared with last year.

It appears this is down to additional measures that were put in place to support students during the pandemic, according to exam board WJEC.

2023 results show that 21.7% of candidates have been awarded top grades which are classed as A*/9.

This is down by 3.4 percentage points on 2022.

Nearly two thirds of students have been awarded a C/4 grade or above, which is currently below the national standard which stands at 68.2% – itself falling from 73.2% in 2022.

The Welsh exam board has warned that people should be "cautious" about comparing previous years’ results due to the differing methods of assessments and circumstances.

Results in key subjects

  • 16.6% of candidates achieved A*/9 - A/7 grades for GCSE Mathematics. 55.4% of candidates have been awarded a grade C/4 or above in Maths.

  • 15.8% of all grades awarded to GCSE English Language candidates were A*/9 – A/7 this year, whilst 60.7% of candidates achieved a grade C/4 or above.

  • For GCSE English Literature, 20.6% of candidates achieved grades A*/9 – A/7, and 73.1% of candidates have been awarded a grade C/4 or above.

  • In Welsh First Language and Welsh Second Language 17.3% of candidates achieved A*/9 – A/7 grades in GCSE Welsh First Language, whilst 71.9% of candidates have been awarded a grade C/4 or above.

  • Meanwhile, 22.4% of GCSE Welsh Second Language candidates have achieved A*/9 – A/7 grades, and 63.1% of candidates have been awarded a grade C/4 or above.

  • The proportion of candidates achieving A*/9 – A/7 in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics is 45.8%, 46.2% and 46.8%, respectively. 90.0% (Biology), 89.1% (Chemistry), and 91.0% (Physics) have achieved a grade C/4 or above.

  • For GCSE Science Double Award, 9.3% of candidates have been awarded A*/9 – A/7 grades, and 52.5% of candidates have achieved a grade C/4 or above.

UK figures show that girls continued their lead over boys for the top GCSE grades. Credit: PA

Across the UK, there were overall 203,000 fewer top grades (7/A) compared with last year, but there were 142,000 more top grades awarded this year than in 2019.

Last week, the proportion of A-level entries achieving top grades fell – with some 73,000 fewer top A-level grades than last year – but it remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Girls continued their lead over boys for the top GCSE grades, with 24.9% of entries awarded 7/A or above compared with 19.1% for males – a gap of 5.8 percentage points.

Ian Morgan, Chair of Joint Council for Qualification Board of Directors, said: “On behalf of JCQ, I would like to congratulate all GCSE and vocational students on their achievements today.

"Their results reflect the effort and determination they've demonstrated throughout their studies, and we wish them well as they take their next steps into further education, training, and employment.

“We would like to thank teachers, tutors, and exams officers working at schools across the country for their hard work, and continued support and commitment to ensuring the successful delivery of this year's exam series.

"We also want to recognise the contribution of parents and carers who have played a huge role in supporting students achieve today’s results.”

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