NEW figures revealed that the A-level pass rate for students in Swindon has slightly increased.  

The percentage of students achieving grades A* to E went up from 97.4 to 97.5 per cent this year.  

And 18 per cent of A-level entries were awarded A*-A, an increase from 14.9 per cent last year. The number of entries awarded A* to B climbed to 43.8 per cent, up from 40.6 per cent.  

The statistics are provisional and may be subject to change, due to the new ‘triple lock’ process which means students can either accept their calculated grades, or appeal to receive their mock results, or sit autumn exams. 

Councillor Russell Holland, deputy leader of Swindon Borough Council and the cabinet member responsible for education, said: “I would like to thank all of the students, teachers, support staff, governors and parents for their extremely hard work during these challenging times. The results obtained are a testimony to the very hard work of everyone and I congratulate everyone on their results.

“I know there may be some students who may not quite have got the grades they were hoping for, but please do not get discouraged.  There is lots of advice and support available via the National Careers Guidance Hub for anyone who would like some help about what to do next. 

“I wish all of our students well in their future."