THOUSANDS of students will be hoping they have made the grade when they find out their A level results today.

Teenagers at schools and colleges across Wrexham, Flintshire and Chester will collect their long-awaited results this morning.

Many will be hoping to achieve the grades needed to go on to university but students who don’t perform as well as expected are being urged not to panic.

Last year Wrexham sixth formers out-performed the national average.

The county borough’s schools recorded an overall pass rate of 99.1 per cent, two per cent higher than the all-Wales figure of 97.1, and two per cent up on the previous year.

In Flintshire, results from exams taken with the Welsh Joint Education Committee showed 99.4 per cent of students passed.

For those whose day does not run to plan, staff at Glyndwr University in Wrexham will be on hand to help many students as possible find a place through clearing.

Joyce M’Caw, chief executive of Careers Wales North East, said: “Results day can be incredibly stressful for students and their parents - especially for those that don’t achieve the grades they are hoping for.

“However, whatever the outcome, you can be reassured that there are options available to you.”

Careers Wales said changes to higher education funding mean more young people are opting for alternative career choices including vocational training courses and apprenticeships.

Most schools are set to open their gates from 9am for pupils to find out how they performed.

- Don’t miss tomorrow’s  Leader for all the news, results and pictures from A level results day.