Pembrokeshire County Council congratulates all learners who have received GCSE and level 1 and 2 vocational results today, Thursday (August 12).

Learners’ achievements this year are to be celebrated as they are in any other year.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought continuing challenges for learners, families and schools this year with results being calculated by centre determined grades.

Schools have worked effectively to ensure that learners’ skills and achievements have been recognised through following robust assessment processes prior to submitting results to examination boards.

Clr. Guy Woodham the Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “The last 18 months have been difficult for all learners, their families and schools. I would like to congratulate all learners on their achievements.

“As a Local Authority, we have been committed to supporting learners in achieving the best possible outcomes. Learners who have received their results today will have acquired a range of skills that enable them to be lifelong learners and hopefully achieve more than they thought possible. I wish all learners every success for the future.”

Director for Education Steven Richards-Downes said: “Every learner who has received their results today should be equally as proud as learners in previous years.

“Learners have shown great resilience in the most uncertain times and every learner will have a range of options available to them to help them continue with education, training or employment.”The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, has congratulated learners in Wales receiving their GCSE and vocational qualification results today.There were 328,658 summer GCSE entries this year, a rise of 8.6 per cent compared to 2020.29 per cent of entries achieved an A* or A, with 74 per cent receiving between A*- C.98 per cent of entries resulted in a pass between grades A*-G.This year’s assessment and qualification process has been different to previous years, as examinations for summer 2021 were cancelled in response to the pandemic. A new system was designed and delivered by schools and colleges, drawing on a range of assessment evidence to determine learners’ grades.The Welsh Government provided an additional £9m to support schools and colleges in the delivery of this year’s assessments. £26m was provided to ensure students could complete their vocational qualifications and colleges could continue to deliver practical sessions this year. Jeremy Miles said: “Our priority this year has been to put a system in place so that learners receive grades based on evidence of their work and enables them to progress to the next stage of their education, training or work with confidence.“My message to this year’s GCSE students is a huge ‘well done’. You’ve had everything thrown at you over the last 18 months – periods in lockdown, time away from your friends and families, and times where you’ve missed out on many of the social activities you should be enjoying. You’ve shown tremendous resilience to overcome all of these challenges. “I also want to congratulate learners on their vocational qualification results. Skills in priority sectors are vitally important in meeting the range of needs of the Welsh economy, now more than ever, and your hard-earned qualifications will put you in good stead for the future.“It’s also been a remarkable achievement by all the school and college staff who’ve worked so hard to enable qualifications this year. “It’s been an almighty task to put measures in place so that learners could get their results, like any other year. You should be very proud of the work you have done to help our learners progress.”CONGRATULATIONS TO CARMARTHENSHIRE'S STUDENTSCarmarthenshire County Council is congratulating all GCSEs pupils for their hard work and determination in what has been an extraordinarily challenging year.Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s assessment and qualification process has been different to previous years with summer examinations cancelled.Instead, a new system was designed and delivered by schools and colleges based on a range of assessment evidence on which to determine a learner’s grade.Final results have been published today (August 12) and show that over a quarter (28.7%) of GCSE students earned A*-A grades nationally.Almost three quarters (73.6%) received A*-C grades, and overall 98.5% of students passed their GCSEs with grades of A*-G.Cllr Glynog Davies, Executive Board Member for Education and Children’s Services, said everyone who has received their exam results should be proud of what they’ve achieved.“On behalf of the council I’d like to congratulate all our learners and wish them well for their onward journey.“This year once again, due to the ongoing pandemic, has presented exceptional challenges for our students and our teachers, and I want to thank everyone for their extraordinary efforts and resilience, and for the great support staff, students and families have shown to one another.“The effort, commitment and strength of character our learners have shown cannot be underestimated and their results are fully deserved.”Director of Education and Children’s Services Gareth Morgans added: “I am extremely proud of our learners for all that they have achieved during such challenging circumstances, the last 18 months has seen huge disruption to their studies, but they have continued to work hard, and I want to congratulate every single one of them. I wish them all the very best for the future whether they are staying in education, training or employment.“Our school staff have also had to work under a lot of pressure to deliver and mark learners’ assessments, and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued hard work and commitment.”