A-level students in Northern Ireland have spoken of their excitement as they weigh up options for the future including further study, travel and religious missions.
Students across the region had cause for celebration as the number of top grades awarded to A-level students in Northern Ireland has risen.
More than 26,000 students in the region received their A-level, AS-level and BTec results on Thursday, with provisional figures showing that 30.7% of students received a grade A or above, compared with 30.3% in 2025.
At Friends’ School in Lisburn, Naomi Patterson got two A*s and an A and is set to study medicinal chemistry at Queen’s University Belfast while Katie Mulholland got an A* and two As and will study medicine at Queens.
“I think we put a lot of work in, but there was definitely a few exams that we came out, I feel they’re a bit more hard than others, but you know what we got the grades, so it all went well in the end,” Ms Patterson said.
Patrick Arnold, who got A*AA and is hoping to study medicine at Queen’s Belfast, said he chose to stay in Northern Ireland because there is “a lot more familiarity and a lot more friends, and there’s just as much opportunity here as there is across the water”.
Tadhg Fitzpatrick, who got three A*s and is set to study mechanical engineering at Queens added: “Money-wise as well, it’s half the price for the tuition fees, and it’s a great university and I’m here with my friends and my family as well, so happy enough at home.”
Aaron Jacob Portis received two A*s in maths and further maths, with a further two As, and is planning to serve a two-year mission for his church in Taiwan.
“That involves learning Mandarin, and I’ve been trying to get stuck into that this summer. It’s been difficult, but I feel pretty rewarded already in it,” he said.
He added: “My faith’s always been very important in my life, and it’s a teaching mission. So I’ll be teaching the things I hold dear to myself.
“So it’s always in my mind been a very important part of, I’ve had this idea since first year or so that I’ve wanted to share my faith, and I think a part of that means putting it first before maybe a university pick.”
Students from Our Lady and St Patrick’s College Knock, in Belfast, also spoke of their future plans with Christopher Ritchie achieving two A*s and a B and setting his sights on Common Law at the University of Glasgow, and Malachy Price who got AAB an studying history and politics also in Glasgow.
Allet Rosh got two A*s and an A in biology, chemistry, and geography and will go on to study medicine at Queen’s in Belfast.
Thursday was her 19th birthday, and she was joined at the school by her mother, Shiji Paul, who was overjoyed at her daughter’s success.
Imogen Kilpatrick, a student from Sullivan Upper in Belfast, will travel to Exeter to study medicine, but will take a year out to travel and do a sports coaching programme in South Africa.
“While I have the opportunity, take some time and explore the world, see what I can do, and then hopefully be a bit more mature entering my degree because I can’t imagine living by myself in September,” she said.
“It’s crazy that we’re all off living our own lives soon.”
She added: “I’m from England, so Exeter with medicine, you get to go straight in with the clinical trials.
“It’s a beautiful university, lovely place in the world, hopefully, a wee bit warmer than Northern Ireland.
“So, excited for some opportunities there and to meet new people, and have a great time, and get a degree, become a doctor.”
Principle of Sullivan Upper Craig Mairs said the school has had “lots of happy students and their parents really celebrating the end of a long educational journey here, and looking forward to the next steps for them”.
He said there is “always a real mixture” of students choosing to stay in Northern Ireland or to move away for further study.
“I’ve talked to loads of students this morning, some are going to Queens and Ulster, some going across the water to UK universities, there’s young men off to Trinity and Dublin, there’s a few taking gap years as well, I spoke to someone that was applying for a ski season before they go off to university,” he said.
“So lots and lots of different routes.
“More and more young people and their parents also considering different routes to get to where they want to go, more and more people are thinking about higher level apprenticeships.”
Education Minister Paul Givan has announced plans to scrap AS levels and replace them with a two-year modular A-level.
Mr Mairs said that “one of the things that AS has done is to allow a bit of breadth”, but that the school will “do the best for our pupils going forward and work with the reforms as they are”.
“We’re delighted with the end outcome for our pupils here, our pupils got 82% A* to B today, 40% of them have achieved at least three A grades,” he said.
“We’re not anticipating that the end academic outcomes will be different for our pupils, but we we try and teach them that they’re going to have to adapt to change when they go into their career, so change to the education system.
“We’ll take it in our stride. We know that our pupils will ultimately too.”
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