A Pwllheli A-level student is looking forward to the future after a "disappointing" end to the school year.

Lleucu Lane, who studied at the Llandrillo-Menai Pwllheli campus will be off to Cardiff University to study medicine after achieving an A* in maths, an A in biology and an A in chemistry.

Lleucu, from Garndolbenmaen, said: “It was disappointing not to be able to finish our time as the class of 2020 in the usual way.

“The last few months have been unsettling, which is natural, but now I’m looking forward to the next exciting chapter!"

There has been criticism of the grading process following a chaotic six months which has seen schools shut and exams cancelled.

Described as “broadly similar” to previous years, this summer’s results process have been dominated by a last-minute Welsh Government backtrack following an outcry over students being downgraded.

With assessment based on coursework, previous results and teacher assessment, education minister Kirsty Williams clarified on Wednesday that students’ final grades will be no lower than their previous AS results.

The Wales-wide pass rate for all students at grades A* to E stood at 98.6 per cent, and 29.9 per cent achieved an A* or A for A-level – up 2.9 per cent from 2019.

The WJEC examination body added there had also been an “overall improvement” in students achieving grades C and above.

Philip Blaker, chief executive at Qualifications Wales, said grades awarded to students carry the same value as any other year, while conceding that the pandemic has made 2020 a “very challenging year” after lowering many teachers’ original grades for being “too generous”.

“The cancellation of exams meant that we had to find an alternative way of awarding grades to enable learner progression,” he said.

“The method we have chosen is meaningful, robust and has been carefully thought through to be as fair as possible in the circumstances, protecting the value of results.

“We’ve been sharing our approach and guidance throughout this process with schools, colleges, learners and their families and we’ve also been listening.”

But education leaders across the region’s six local authorities have raised major concerns, claiming that students have been “let down” by the standardisation process.

Neil Foden, a member of the National Executive of the National Education Union, said from his contact with schools more than 90 per cent of headteachers were unhappy with the grades.

He said headteachers “didn’t understand” the model used and felt they had not had sufficient input into its creation, pointing to instances where a centre assessment A grade had been downgraded to a D, and a B downgraded to a U.

“There is real concern in schools about the number of learners whose results have been downgraded from the teacher estimates,” said Mr Foden.

“This is already the generation whose well-being and, in some cases, mental health, has been affected by lockdown and concerns about Covid-19 and a number feel that in some way their results would not be as valid because they hadn’t sat a formal exam.

“Now they are the generation who could be short-changed by a statistical model that is clearly not fit for purpose.”

He added that the mathematical model used by Qualifications Wales places “too much reliance” on national data.

“Learners in schools where there is long term statistical evidence of high levels of progress between AS and A-level have seen their results downgraded, in some cases by three grades,” he said.

“The appeal process in Wales could take eight weeks. In the meantime, our university candidates are expected to go cap in hand to universities to ask them to be ‘flexible’ while appeals are resolved.”

Ms Williams referred to this year’s “exceptional circumstances”, while noting the many sacrifices made by schools and students alike.

“You have every reason to be proud of all the work you’ve done, which will serve you well, and proud of the determination you have shown to overcome this challenging time,” she said.

“As announced yesterday, we have guaranteed that a learner’s final A-level grade cannot be lower than their AS grade. Students in Wales, and prospective employers and universities across the UK, can be assured that their A-level grades reflect their work and externally assessed exams.

“I hope you get the grades you’d hoped for, and you can continue with your educational journey in the autumn.

“Although many of you will be pleased with your results and excited for your next step, if you didn’t get what you’d hoped, there’s plenty of options and advice on Working Wales.

“Best of luck, and best wishes for the future.”