More than one in five A Level grades rewarded in Powys this year were at the highest grades A or A*.
The top grades made up 20.1% of awarded A Levels for 2018 which represents an increase of nearly 1% from 2017 when the top grades accounted for 19.2% of the qualifications.
A* grades made up 4.5% of the results with A grades making up 15.6% for this year's results.
Nearly half of the results, 48.2% in total, were at grades A* to B and more than three-quarters of results, 75.9%, were at grades A* to C.
The gap between Powys WJEC results and Wales results for all boards has closed significantly this year, reducing from 6.6% in 2017 to 3.8% in 2018 for grades A* to B, and from 1.7% to 0.4% for grades A* to C.
Powys WJEC grades at A* to B have increased by almost 5% this year wit5h grades A*to C increasing by more than 2%.
A spokesman from Powys County Council said: "Almost everyone who took a WJEC A Level in Powys passed by obtaining grades A* to E at 97.2%.
"This overall pass rate is similar to that for Wales at 97.4% England at 97.6% and the UK as a whole at 97.6% and only significantly surpassed by Northern Ireland at 98.2%.
"Powys results from other examination boards are awaited and may impact on these comparisons."
He said the other factor that may impact on the comparison is the change in the number of WJEC A Levels sat in Powys schools as it decreased from 1,111 in 2017 to 1,045 in 2018 which represents a fall of approximately 6%.
The cabinet member for learning councillor Myfanwy Alexander 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 achievement and to all those who have supported them throughout their school careers. We wish all the students every success for the future.”
Results were released in schools from 9am with some pupils being given a clue as to their results from profile updates on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website.
Some universities in the UK were texting jittery prospective students as early as 7am to let them know they had been accepted.
Brecon pupils were celebrating this morning as they eagerly discussed their results and what came next.
Celebrating pupil Hannah Morgan from Brecon said she received a text at 7am from Manchester Metropolitan University to say that she had been accepted onto the Nutritional Science course.
The 18-year-old, who achieved an A in Welsh Baccalaureate and two Bs in English and biology, said: "It’s such a relief, I’ve been so stressed lately and I’ve not been sleeping properly.
"I haven’t stopped smiling since I go the text this morning. I ran into my parents room after I got the text to let them know."
Brecon pals Gwyn Daggett, Dylan Matthews and Josh King all arrived at the school just after 9am to collect their A Level results together.
Gwyn Daggett, 18, received a distinction in music, an A in drama and a B in Welsh Bacc.
He said: "I’m not going to university this year, but I am looking at doing creative music technology at Brighton or Bristol next year."
Dylan Matthews, 18, said that he had been accepted into the University of South Wales to study history meanwhile Josh will be attending Bournemouth University.
Dylan said: "It’s a relief, that’s for sure. I found out before I got here that I’d got in - it’s definitely affirming."
Pupils who had plans to attend university but did not get the grades they were hoping for are being advised to keep trying.
The course director and founder of the Oxford Open Learning Trust Dr Nick Smith is urging disappointed pupils to call their chosen university and their second choice university after their grades to see if there are still any positions available.
In failing that, students are recommended to check whether there are similar courses being offered by other universities before looking at the "clearing" process with UCAS.
Dr Smith said that as well as clearing, pupils can always re-sit their A Levels, do long distance learning - which is offered by the learning trust - or even look at a gap year including work or charity work.
He said: "“The UCAS clearing system should be your first port of call if you didn’t meet your university’s grade requirements. Many institutions will still have places available, so have a look on the UCAS website or give them a quick call to check if your course is on offer elsewhere.
“Alternatively, it might be worth considering other learning pathways, such as apprenticeships or work experience. Gap years are also an option and allow you to pursue other interests such as travel or charity work.
“For students considering a break from traditional education, you can still re-sit A Levels or even start studying for new ones whilst working.
"Distance learning is the most flexible way of doing this as everything you need is available online, so you can learn wherever and whenever is convenient for you.”