The A-level attainment rate in Northern Ireland has fallen since 2021, although it remains higher than in 2019, the last year before the coronavirus pandemic and the last time students sat a full set of public exams.
Provisional data published today on behalf of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) - which said that “comparisons to previous years should be approached with caution” - shows that 44 per cent received an A or an A*, down from 50.8 per cent last year.
This year’s figures are still markedly higher than in 2019, when the figure was 29.4 per cent.
Elsewhere in the UK, 35.9 per cent of A-level entries in England attained either an A* or an A, as did 40.9 per cent of entries in Wales.
Some 25,000 students across Northern Ireland received their results today; entries for A levels increased by 1.2 per cent compared with those in 2021, in line with the school-age population. Grades had been expected to drop back from 2021 levels, when students were assessed by their teachers.
The JCQ said particular caution should be exercised in comparing today’s results with those from 2020 and 2021, but that even 2019 was not a “like for like” year as, even though it was the last year of public exams, this year’s students were sitting exams for the first time after a year of considerable pandemic-related disruption.
Today’s JCQ data also shows that 89.5 per cent of students in Northern Ireland got a C or above, down from 94.6 per cent in 2021 but up from 85 per cent in 2019.
This year’s A*-C pass rate is higher than in England (82.1 per cent) and Wales (85.3 per cent).
The A*-E pass rate in Northern Ireland is 99.1 per cent, down from 99.4 per cent in 2021 but up from 98.4 per cent in 2019.
The number of AS level entries remains “stable” in Northern Ireland, the JCQ said, following a decline in 2019 and 2020, adding: “The fall in AS entries was due to the decoupling of AS from A-level qualifications in English awarding organisations.”
Provisional AS outcomes show 98.2 per cent of candidates achieving an A-E grade, an increase of 2.5 percentage points from 2019.
Education minister Michelle McIlveen said she wanted to pay tribute to students and also to teachers “who have, within the most challenging circumstances, continued to be at the heart of students’ education throughout this crucial year”. She added that without teachers’ “enthusiasm, dedication and commitment, today’s successes would not have been possible”.
Ms McIlveen also thanked schools for their role in arranging “bespoke assessment arrangements taking account of disruption while maintaining the credibility of the qualifications”.
She said: “I thank all those who have been involved in delivering this approach, including our schools and everyone involved in the examination and marking process. It has been a real partnership effort, which has resulted in a successful exam series.
“This year’s return to examinations marks a positive step towards more normal teaching and assessment arrangements.”
Leah Scott, acting interim chief executive of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), sent congratulations to the thousands of students in Northern Ireland receiving results today.
She said: ”It is a positive day for these students who, despite the exceptional challenges they faced, have continued to perform well.
“These results reflect two years of hard work from our young people, schools, colleges and the wider school community. I pay tribute to their dedication and resilience as we returned to the first full summer examinations since 2019.
“On behalf of everyone at CCEA, I wish all those receiving results today every success for the future and share our thanks to all of those who helped them on this journey.”
Careers advice for students who received their results today is available here, or by calling 0300 200 7820
