Laura Doel, Director of NAHT Cymru said: “Learners throughout Wales have studied incredibly hard, overcome significant challenges and should be commended for the grades they have received. They may have had to adapt to new ways of learning and overcome many personal sacrifices, showing great strength and determination.

“Second only to the achievements of our learners is that of our school staff. School leaders and teachers have shown their resilience, their commitment to learners and demonstrated beyond any doubt their professionalism and integrity during this year’s process.

“Any talk of grade inflation is unhelpful and does nothing more than undermine the hard work of learners and dedication of the teaching profession. Grades were awarded on the expert judgement of teachers.

“Any comparisons of previous years’ grades is difficult, given the new process used this year. We must be quick not to come to simplistic conclusions for differences that depend on a host of complex factors.

“What this year has provided is an opportunity for us to look at alternatives to the traditional exam process.

“We know that the traditional way of assessing learners is out of step with the ambition of the new curriculum, and as such, we have called for an overhaul in the process which has been exam based for decades.

“Accountability and assessment is the missing piece of the jigsaw when it comes to the New Curriculum for Wales and now we have an opportunity to take what we have learned from this exam series when looking to build a fair and equitable system in Wales.”