Northern Ireland pupils are in a class of their own

Northern Ireland students have outperformed their peers in England and Wales in both A-level and the new AS level exams.

Figures released by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) on Thursday August 16 show a record 48,000 grades have been issued to Northern Ireland students across all exam boards.

Exam results delivered to students on Thursday morning show that Northern Ireland students achieved much better results than their counterparts in England and Wales in both A-level and in the new controversial AS level courses.

Commenting on the figures for Northern Ireland CCEA Chief Executive Gavin Boyd said: “Local students have maintained their position as top performers nationally, something of which they should be very proud. I am particularly pleased with the superb performance at AS level. I hope that these wonderful results are seen by pupils and teachers as a proper reward for what has undoubtedly been a tough year for all.”

Thursday’s exam results show that at A-level, 24.6 per cent of Northern Ireland students received an A grade, 6 per cent ahead of the national figure of 18.6 per cent. The percentage for local students achieving an A – E pass grade also increased to 92.1 per cent this year, compared to 89.8 per cent nationally.

In the new AS level, 28 per cent of Northern Ireland students achieved an A grade, compared to 16.8 per cent in England and 16.5 per cent in Wales. Northern Ireland students were ahead again with 92.5 per cent students achieving an A – E grade, compared to 86.6 per cent nationally.

The education minister Martin McGuinness has congratulated local students and their teachers on the standards achieved in this year’s GCE A-level and the new AS level examinations.

He said: “I want to congratulate all the candidates who have studied hard to achieve the best possible results for themselves. The results are a credit to the efforts of not only the pupils themselves, but also the dedication of the teachers and lecturers in our schools and colleges.” (AMcE)