GCSE results: joy at Maesteg school, but Wales still lagging behind England

Wales’s overpass rate of 62.5% is behind England’s 67.1% – although there were many success stories at the Llynfi valley secondary

• GCSE results: pupils in England bounce back from pandemic as top grades rise

Mia Headington found out she had dyslexia the day before her first GCSE exam, but the diagnosis didn’t faze her. Opening her results envelope on Thursday morning, the 16-year-old found out she had done much better than in her mock exams, achieving five A*s, an A, two Bs and a C.

“I am chuffed,” the Maesteg school pupil said. “I didn’t expect to do this well, although I’m going to resit the C in English Language. The essays were difficult. Now I know why!”