Powys students have achieved an A-mazing set of A-level results with nearly one in five passes at the top A* and A grades.

Across the county 19.2% of passes were at the top two grades, an increase of nearly 1% on last year, while 43.5% were A* to B.

The A* to C pass rate was 73.6% while the overall pass rate with the WJEC exam board was 98.1%, again a small increase on last year.

Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, the council’s cabinet Member for Education, said: “These are very good results clearly reflecting the dedication and hard work of pupils and teachers in all Powys schools.

"Our warm congratulations go to all the young people on their well-deserved achievements and to all those who have supported them throughout their school careers. We wish all the students every success for the future."

Around the schools

Gwernyfed High School

Top performers included Lily Biggs who is going to Leeds University to study Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering, Jacob Evans off to Exeter to read Geography, Matthew Tomlin studying Journalism Media and English at Cardiff, and Jenna Hughson going to Birmingham to read Drama and English.

Other successful students include Dan Draper (Engineering Geology and Geotechnics at Exeter), Sam Ford (Management at Lancaster), Ceri Jones (Accountancy and Finance at Birmingham), Charlotte Jones (Law with History at Bangor), Carrianne Ralph (Anthropology at UWTSD Lampeter) and Ellie Torrence (Land Management at Harper Adams)

Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ystradgynlais

Pupils at Ysgol Maesydderwen are celebrating their A Level results with some excellent performances. Once again all Maesydderwen students who wished to continue their studies have secured a place at university.

There were some excellent individual results including Nia McLennan (two A* grades and two A grades); Elin Anthony (an A*, three A grades and a B grade); Lloyd Handley (an A*, an A and a B grade) and Rhys Jones (three A grades and a C).

Brecon High School

A number of students achieved three A* or A grades at the Penlan school. There were top performances from Erin Blackburn who achieved three A’s and one B grade (English, Geography, Biology and Welsh Baccalaureate) and Josh Dyer who achieved two A’s and one B grade (Business Studies, Maths and History). The school continued to have 100% pass rates in subjects as diverse as English, Maths, History and Business Studies.

77% of all grades were at A* to C with 98% of all grades at A*-E.

Headteacher, Rob Broadbridge said: As an inclusive sixth Form, our Year 13 students have achieved across the ability range, which is a testament to their hard work and commitment over the year. It also shows the commitment of their teachers in preparing them for this success.”

Builth Wells High School

The students at Builth Wells High School who received their A Level results today had good reason to celebrate. 76% of all results were graded A*-C, marking yet another year of excellent academic and personal achievements for students at the school, with an overall pass rate of 100%.

Headteacher Ionwen Spowage, said: "We are thrilled with the success of our students’ A Levels results. It has been a busy morning and we are pleased to see our students achieving their expected places at a wide range of Universities. These results demonstrate that the School is continuously providing high quality Post 16 education to students and more importantly, that students feel challenged and supported to achieve their very best."

Christ College, Brecon

Top performer at the independent school was Catie Masters, whose A* grades in Maths, Further Maths and Physics secured her a place at the London School of Economics to study Maths and Economics. Catie, from Sennybridge, also achieved an A* in her Extended Project Qualification.

Other local pupils achieving excellence included Harry Channing, from Brecon, with A*s in Maths and Further Maths and an A in Physics, who is heading for the highly competitive Maths course at Bath University; Julia Copp, from Brecon, who is off to Edinburgh to study Languages on the basis of 2 A*s in French and Economics and As in History and Art; Matilda Lewis, also from Brecon, heading for International Management and Languages at Bath University with 2 A*s and an A; and Dafydd Owen-Newns, from Builth Wells, whose A* in Computer Science, along with 3 A grades, gains him a place to read Physics at Exeter University.

Llandovery College

The independent school is celebrating a record breaking year of A-level results with a substantial increase on last year with A* - C grades hitting 82% breaking all previous records at the college. A* - A grades saw a significant increase of 12% reaching 31% and A* - B grades increased to 57%.

Llandovery College Warden, Guy Ayling, said: "We are really proud of the achievement of our pupils, all of whom have worked hard in testing circumstances to prove that the reformed examinations did not necessarily have to bring the chaos predicted by some in the press."