I've been fighting wildfires while I wait for my A-level results

An 18-year-old firefighter who combined his A-levels with responding to exigency calls is among thousands of students getting results connected Thursday morning.

Bobi Jones from Newcastle Emlyn successful Carmarthenshire said helium felt "quite relaxed" astir his grades aft having "plenty connected my plate" responding to caller wildfires.

As good arsenic A-levels, results for AS, BTec and different vocational qualifications volition besides beryllium published, with galore students hoping to advancement to university.

A-level grades tin beryllium shared with students from 08:00 BST but arrangements alteration depending connected the schoolhouse oregon college.

Bobi is waiting for results for A-level concern and sport, arsenic good arsenic the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.

He said his school, Ysgol Bro Teifi, had been "very flexible", with teachers allowing him to permission people erstwhile his enactment alarm went disconnected arsenic agelong arsenic helium caught up with schoolwork afterwards.

"The past fewer months person been precise engaged with exams and besides the occurrence brigade. We've been truly engaged with fires and wildfires," helium said.

Fortunately the occupation has not been arsenic superior arsenic successful immoderate areas, but Bobi has been regularly responding to "a fewer patches of writer going up connected occurrence and conscionable spreading precise fast".

He is present readying to instrumentality connected an apprenticeship with a section electrician which helium volition harvester with on-call shifts for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Last year, the proportionality of A* grades roseate somewhat to 10.5%, portion 29.5% of results were A oregon A* which was little than successful 2024.

Data shows 32.8% of Welsh 18-year-olds had applied for assemblage places by the extremity of June - somewhat up connected past twelvemonth but little than figures for different UK nations.

Rosa MacGowan, 18, from Swansea juggled studying 4 A-levels and the Welsh Baccalaureate alongside her part-time occupation successful the anticipation of going connected to beryllium a doctor.

Having spent the summertime Interrailing and spending clip with friends, she is anxious to find retired what's next.

"My archetypal prime is to survey medicine astatine Glasgow uni, and my security is pharmacy astatine Newcastle," she said.

"I americium truly excited astir either of these options, arsenic they look similar truly amusive cities, and wholly antithetic to Swansea.

"I deliberation some of these courses should person bully vocation prospects, and tons of absorbing opportunities."

Rosa said she felt "positive astir the aboriginal and can't hold for the adjacent chapter".

"I americium tense for results day, but I americium alert that if it doesn't enactment out, there's plentifulness of different options, and I tin ever spell travelling again".

William Hopkins has been studying for a BTEC successful Uniformed Protective Services, alongside his A-levels and hopes to articulation the Army aft results day.

"I've enjoyed it, but I've ne'er been truly world and I ne'er truly enjoyed schoolhouse that much," helium said.

"I deliberation I'll inactive get decent-ish grades but I could person astir apt done a spot more.

"I'm looking to spell into either the Army oregon Royal Marines arsenic an officer."

William wants to travel successful the footsteps of household members by joining the equipped forces and immoderate of his friends signed up astatine 16.

"They've each gone successful younger, but I wanted to person a spot much acquisition surviving I guess," helium added.

"I've ever enjoyed caller things and investigating my limits.

"Even if I don't get into the Army I cognize I volition onshore connected my feet determination else."

Aiming for a spot studying criminology with science astatine the University of the West of England successful Bristol, Caitlin Giffard, besides from Swansea, needs 3 Bs.

She did good successful past year's AS results truthful feels hopeful.

"It was a existent eye-opener, really, the quality betwixt GCSE and A-level, due to the fact that I had a batch of friends who did rather good astatine GCSEs, but past had grades driblet astatine A-level.

"I deliberation it shows however large the leap was.

"I felt bully astir my exams though this year, truthful I'm hoping for bully results."

Caitlin said she felt "quite affirmative "about the aboriginal contempt the chartless of results time being "a small scary".

Results for the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales volition besides beryllium released connected Thursday.

Many students volition request confirmation of their grades to unafraid assemblage offers and tin usually get updated accusation astir their places, external from 08:00 BST.

The astir fashionable A-level subjects this twelvemonth were inactive mathematics, biology, chemistry and psychology.

According to provisional information for summertime 2026, the largest proportional decreases successful entries compared to 2025 were successful machine subject (-14.9%), Spanish (-12.9%) and play and theatre (-8.2%).

English connection and lit entries accrued by 23.3%, Welsh connection was up 42.7%, portion German, from a tiny base, accrued by 59.4%.

Fewer 16-year-olds successful Wales person been going connected to survey A-levels successful caller years according to information from Medr, the assemblage which oversees and funds post-16 education.

Provisional information for 2025/26 suggested that little than fractional (49%) of Year 11 students who transportation connected successful acquisition present advancement to AS courses, the archetypal twelvemonth of A-levels, compared with 60% successful 2014/15.

Figures amusement a increasing proportionality are going connected to survey Level 2 courses, which are equivalent to GCSE, alternatively than a Level 3 course.

Bethan Evans, enforcement manager for regularisation and investigation astatine Medr, said determination had been a driblet successful the fig of students progressing to survey astatine A-level "particularly successful the years since Covid".

Asked whether that was a concern, she said determination were "more options disposable to our young radical contiguous than ever before".

"More and much radical astatine the property of 16 are choosing to spell to survey vocational qualifications astatine further acquisition colleges, for example," she said.

This year's results travel aft a major UK authorities report, external highlighted "shrinking" occupation and vocation opportunities for a "lost generation" of young radical with precocious numbers not successful education, employment and grooming (Neet).

Welsh authorities information suggests that 17% of Welsh young radical aged 16 to 24 are Neet.

Evans said it was "a important situation for us" which had "an interaction connected people's beingness prospects".

She said Medr worked crossed universities, colleges and apprenticeship providers to effort to code the issue.

"I deliberation we bash spot that determination is simply a hazard of losing immoderate learners reasonably aboriginal connected successful their [education] journey, and that's portion of the crushed wherefore Medr has enactment successful spot an enlargement of the inferior apprenticeship scheme," she added.