16 August 2012
Employment and Learning Minister and Education Minister John O’Dowd congratulated students who have received their A and AS level results.
Visiting Lagan College in Belfast, the Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry said: “It is heartening to see so many of our young people achieving the grades they need for their chosen pathways and they deserve our congratulations.
“Sometimes results can mean a change of plan, and we want to let students know that there are still many possibilities and choices available, whether you have done better than expected or not as well as you had hoped. My primary advice to anyone in this situation is to remember that help is at hand. My Department’s Careers Service has a team of professionally qualified Careers Advisers offering free, impartial, careers information, advice and guidance to young people and adults. You can call 0300 200 7820 or log on to the www.nidirect.gov.uk/results to access a wealth of useful information and locate your nearest Careers Office.”
The key headlines from this year’s results are as follows:
• 83.5% of entries at A-level here achieved grades A*- C;
• At the top grades, A* - A was awarded to 31.9% of entrants;
• 2012 is the third year of the new A* grade and the statistics show that 7.7% of grades awarded were A*;
• The overall pass rate has remained unchanged, with 98.1% of grades awarded at A* - E this year.
Education Minister, John O’Dowd, said: “I would like to offer my best wishes to all those who have received their exam results today. I know that these results are the culmination of many years of hard work by the pupils with support from their teachers and families and I congratulate all involved.
“This year there were a record 32,908 entries for A-levels here which represents a 10% rise in entries over the past five years. It is encouraging that more pupils are continuing on with their education after the age of 16 and I hope that this trend will continue in the coming years.
“Not all pupils will get the results they were hoping for today and I would urge those young people not to worry. Help and advice is available to you and I would encourage you to speak to your teachers, careers advisors and parents if you have any concerns about your future career or study path.
“Finally, I want to wish all the young people receiving their results today the very best of luck for the future.”
The Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry concluded: “A number of you will be going onto university, but for some there are other routes to achieving your future goals. I would encourage young people to investigate all options open to them. Our Further Education colleges offer a wide variety of foundation degrees and vocational qualifications and further study may prove beneficial, especially in the current economic times. Apprenticeships are another way to develop specialist skills, giving you the chance to earn while you learn and gain qualifications that are recognised worldwide. Taking time now to explore options will pay dividends in the future.”
For those with queries on any issues relating to their exam results eg.appeals,remarks,re-sits, contact your exam centre or the CCEA helpline on 028 9026 1260 or email helpline@ccea.org.uk.
For those who are still undecided about what to do next, information, advice and guidance is available from the Careers Service at 0300 200 7820 or at: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/results
Information on university options is also available from the Aimhigher website at http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk or the UCAS website http://www.ucas.ac.uk