A statement by the Welsh Government's Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams that she is prepared to consider stopping early GCSE entry has been welcomed by local Assembly Member Adam Price who met with Mrs Williams earlier this year to discuss concerns raised in Carmarthenshire.

This week, Qualifications Wales - the body responsible for overseeing qualifications – has warned that English, Welsh and Maths GCSE results are expected to be lower in Wales this year.

The predicted decline is blamed on schools entering more pupils for examination a year earlier than planned.

Mr Adam Price has been making representations regarding early exam entry to the Welsh Government since the start of the year having been contacted by a local maths tutor who had seen a dramatic rise in demand for private tutoring.

The Plaid Cymru AM also met with the Education Secretary in May to express concern that pupils may not be reaching their full potential.

Mr Price says he welcomes the willingness of the Education Secretary to intervene but said options for early entry should not be closed off to everyone.

Assembly Member Adam Price said:

"I first made representations to the Education Secretary back in January having been contacted by a local maths tutor who had seen a dramatic rise in demand for private tutoring. His concern was that pupils were being entered for early examination but did not have time to actually finish the course before sitting the exams.

"Whilst it seems attractive for pupils to 'bank' a good grade early and take some pressure off a year later, many pupils will miss out on a better grade if they were to be given the opportunity to complete the course over the longer and traditional two year timescale.

"Early entry for exams is not a new phenomenon – this has always been a feature of GCSEs at the discretion of teachers and it should not be closed off entirely. But there does seem to be widespread change this year with almost two-thirds of all pupils in Wales being entered a year early.

"I welcome the Minister's comments that she is prepared to intervene depending on the findings of her review, but the pressure on schools and teachers must be considered as part of this investigation.

"We all want what is best for our school pupils. The education system should support pupils who need the full two years of study, and allow teachers to make decisions on how pupils can best reach their individual potential."