Cardiff has released its overall GCSE grades from maintained schools in the city. Results at the gold standard A*-C grades are above the Welsh average with more than one in four results the very top A*-A, but the overall pass rate is very slightly lower than the average for Wales.

The results follow the better than Wales average for Cardiff’s A level grades last week. More than one in five GCSE results in the city were the top A*-A grades.

This year was the first year exams were held under “normal” pre-Covid conditions. Traditional sat exams were cancelled by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and replaced with teacher-assessed grades and then sat with extra support in 2022 and 2023. You can catch up with all our live GCSE results coverage here

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Cardiff’s results at a glance

  • A*-A 26% compared to the Wales figure of 19.2%
  • A*-C 67.4% compared to the Wales figure of 62.2%
  • A*-G 96.1% compared to 96.6% across Wales.

In a similar picture across Wales, outcomes are higher than 2019 but lower than 2023 when there were additional measures put in place to help pupils mitigate the effects of Covid disruption, Cardiff Council said. Cardiff Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for education, Cllr Sarah Merry said: “I would like to congratulate all of Cardiff’s pupils, on behalf of the local authority, who have today received their GCSE results.

“It is unbelievable to think that these pupils were just at the beginning of their secondary school education when the pandemic began and have continued to show determination and resilience throughout. Their achievements are a testament to their hard work and I would like to wish them the very best of luck as they begin a new chapter of their lives, whether they are moving onto university, employment or training.

“It is pleasing to see that performance across the city has again continued to rise and in particular, that Cardiff outcomes are significantly above the Welsh average for A* - A grades. I would also like to thank the city’s schools, teachers and staff for the dedication and support, in helping pupils reach their potential and preparing them for their future.”

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