Top A* grades rise in Wales as pupils get results

TOP A* grades at A-level in Wales have risen in the second “normal” exam year since pandemic disruption.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK Education editor

More than one in 10 results achieved the gold star, but numbers taking A-levels this summer are down.

A-level results for Wales published this morning show that 97.5% of students achieved A*-E grades, 0.1 percentage points higher than 2024 while 10.5% achieved the very top A* grade, a 0.4 percentage point increase on last year.

Numbers achieving A grades fell slightly to 29.5%, a 0.4 percentage fall on 2024.

The total number of A-level examination entries in Wales this year was 31,791, a decrease of 1.4% from 2024.

Numbers of 18-year-olds only in Wales taking A-levels has also fallen this year. A total 28,693 18-year-olds sat A-levels in Wales in summer 2025 compared to 29,123 in 2024. Fewer 18-year-olds in Wales applied for university compared with a rise in England and Scotland this year.