Llandovery College students are celebrating a strong set of GCSE results this year, following hot on the heels of last week’s outstanding A Level and BTEC success.
As a proudly non-selective school, the College is delighted with this year’s Year 11 outcomes, which reflect the hard work of pupils across the full range of ability and the strength of the individual support that underpins every pupil’s journey through the College.
This year, for the first time, the College has carried out a detailed pupil-by-pupil analysis of GCSE outcomes, benchmarking every grade achieved against each pupil’s individual Cognitive Ability Test (CAT) prediction made earlier in the year – giving a clearer picture than ever of the progress every pupil has made, whatever their individual programme of study.
For parents unfamiliar with the term, CAT assessments are standardised, nationally-recognised tests that measure a pupil’s reasoning ability across verbal, non-verbal and quantitative strands, rather than testing subject knowledge directly. Because CAT scores are not affected by how or where a pupil was taught before joining the College, they give a fair, independent starting point from which teachers set ambitious individual target grades for each pupil – and a reliable way of measuring how much progress that pupil has gone on to make, regardless of their starting point.
2026 Results
- 89% of all GCSE grades achieved met or exceeded pupils’ individual CAT predictions
- 96% of pupils met or exceeded their CAT prediction across the majority of their subjects
- 33% of all GCSE grades awarded were graded A*-A
- 83% of all GCSE grades awarded were graded A*-C
- 100% of all GCSE grades awarded were graded A*-G – every single grade was a pass
- 67% of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C
- 29% of pupils achieved five or more grades at A* or A
- 96% of pupils achieved at least five full GCSE passes (grades A*-G)
- 58% of pupils achieved five or more grades at A*-C including English and Mathematics
These results represent a genuinely strong set of outcomes and reflect the ambition and hard work of pupils across the year group. In keeping with the College’s ethos of knowing and developing the individual, a number of pupils this year – working closely with their families – followed a programme matched to their own strengths and next steps, including sitting a smaller number of GCSEs. The CAT-benchmarked figures above reflect that, whatever a pupil’s individual programme looked like, the overwhelming majority achieved to or beyond their potential.
Several subjects recorded particularly strong performances. Biology, Physics and History all achieved 100% of grades at A*-C, with more than half of all Biology and History grades awarded at A* or A. Mathematics results were also excellent, with 88% of grades at A*-C, building on the subject’s strong showing at A Level. Pupils who completed the BTEC First Award in Business all achieved at least a Merit grade, once again demonstrating the strength of vocational learning at the College, alongside the excellent BTEC Sport results announced at A Level.
Science outcomes were a particular highlight across the year group as a whole: 88% of pupils achieved at least one grade of C or above across Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Combined Science, with 38% securing at least one grade of A* or A.
Among the highest achievers, one pupil achieved eight grade A*s among a total of eleven GCSEs, with several others achieving eight or more grades at A* or A – securing excellent foundations for their next steps into the Sixth Form and beyond.
Llandovery College has particular strength in supporting pupils who arrive having found aspects of their previous education challenging, including a number who join the College from the state sector partway through their secondary education. Through individualised support – including the College’s Academic Action Plan process, now extended to Year 11 – many of these pupils go on to achieve outcomes well beyond what might once have seemed possible, a source of particular pride for the College.
Acting Warden, Dr Georgie Bevan, said:
“As a College, we are incredibly proud of these results and, most importantly, of our pupils. What has been particularly rewarding is hearing students speak so confidently about their own progress and development as individuals, and how many feel they have exceeded their own expectations and achieved ambitions they had set for themselves.
It is sincerely heartwarming to reflect on the progress our pupils have made over the past two years, particularly given the incredibly busy lives that many within the College community lead beyond the classroom. For some, this includes spending extended periods away from College competing at the highest levels of sport; for others, it may involve demanding musical, dramatic or artistic commitments and performances.
The dedication of our staff and the strength of our provision enable pupils to continue to develop and thrive in their chosen co-curricular pursuits while maintaining a strong academic focus. The results achieved today are testament to the commitment of our pupils, the expertise and dedication of our staff, and the strength of the wider Llandovery College community.
At the heart of our ethos is our commitment to knowing and developing the individual. We do not believe in asking every pupil to fit the same mould; instead, we seek to understand each young person, their strengths, aspirations and individual circumstances, and tailor their education and support accordingly. Today’s results are a powerful testament to this commitment and provide clear evidence of what we truly value as a College: enabling every pupil to fulfil their individual potential, pursue their ambitions, and thrive as the person they are.
We are immensely proud of what our pupils have achieved today and wish them every success as they embark upon the next chapter of their educational journey. We look forward to seeing them continue to grow, develop and thrive in the years ahead.”
Deputy Warden (Academic), Miss Cressy Passmore, added:
“These are excellent results, particularly for a non-selective school. As those figures show, the overwhelming majority of our pupils met or exceeded their individual CAT predictions this year – a genuine reflection of how hard they have worked, whatever their individual programme of study looked like. That, to me, matters just as much as any single headline figure.
We are also delighted with the strength of our mathematics and science results and the continued success of our vocational pathways, which show that whatever route a pupil is on, they are supported to achieve their very best. As ever, our focus now turns to welcoming our returning Year 11 pupils into the Sixth Form in September, alongside many new faces, as they continue their educational journey with us.”
The entire Llandovery College community congratulates all Year 11 pupils on their success and wishes them every happiness as they embark on the next stage of their educational journey.
