IT was smiles all round last Thursday as pupils across the country picked up their A Level results.
Whoops of joy were heard all around Denbighshire and Gwynedd when pupils opened their envelopes.
The A Level pass rate at Denbighshire’s six state run secondary schools in 2011 is 98.3 per cent (A-E grades), up on the 2010 figures by 0.6 per cent.
This is also over one per cent higher than the Welsh average for A*-E grades which is 97.2 per cent.
The proportion of A grades (including the new A* grade) gained by Denbighshire pupils is 20.9 per cent, up by 1.1 per cent on 2010.
Denbighshire’s school results were:
172 candidates were awarded the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification's Advanced Diploma.
This represented an increase from 2010 of 2.1 per cent to 97.7 per cent of those who participated in the programme and is well above the Welsh average of 83.5 per cent.
“Education remains a top priority in Denbighshire and I am extremely pleased to see our A level results continuing to rise,” said Councillor Eryl Williams, cabinet lead member for education.
“I would like to congratulate the students who have achieved the results they need and I wish them every success in their future education and careers.”
In Gwynedd the percentage of pupils achieving grades A-E across all subjects [97.6 per cent ] was also higher than the national figure.
The percentage achieving a grade A or better was 22.9 per cent, with 100 per cent gaining A-E grades.
Dewi R Jones, head of education for Gwynedd Council said: "I am very pleased with the results in Gwynedd schools again this year.
“The students and their teachers are to be warmly congratulated on their success.
"The percentage gaining the new A* grade, awarded for exceptional performance, is 5.9 per cent and is an improvement of one percentage point on the 2010 performance.
"I would like to thank the schools and the teachers for their hard work and professionalism, the students for their efforts and the parents for their constant support."
The Welsh Local Government Association also congratulated pupils on another ‘excellent’ year for both A-level and Welsh Baccalaureate results, this year has seen the highest success rate to date for the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.
“Today’s results reinforce the dedication and excellent abilities of Welsh pupils, and also reflect the hard work of our education professionals, both within schools, local authorities and further education institutions across Wales,” said Cllr Peter Fox WLGA spokesperson for Lifelong Learning.
“I am particularly pleased to see such a high increase in the number of pupils awarded the Welsh Baccalaureate this year, the most successful year for this qualification to date.
“Welsh local authorities are committed to providing an excellent education system for Wales and will continue to invest in this crucial area.
“Today’s results provide a sound basis for future improvement in Welsh schools.”