Record A-level results in Northern Ireland, where students out-performed their counterparts in England and Wales, have been welcomed by the Ministerof Education, Mr Martin McGuinness.
The numbers of A grades awarded increased from 24.6 per cent to 28.1 per cent, a gap of more than 7 per cent when compared to other parts of the UK. The overall pass rate also improved.
Speaking yesterday, Mr McGuinness said the students and teachers involved deserved praise for their "hard work and dedication".
However, he had some words of consolation for those without reason to celebrate: "Education is not only about exam results but is also about our young people acquiring the skills to play a significant part in our society," he said.
Congratulating the students, the North's Minister for Employment and Learning, Ms Carmel Hanna, said the results offered further evidence "of the sound efforts of our teachers and students in schools and further education colleges".
Statistics released by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), showed that girls in Northern Ireland schools continued to perform better than boys. Just over 3 per cent more female students achieve A grades in the exam than males.
Mr Gavin Boyd, chief executive of the CCEA, said the improvement in overall results was due to better preparations for exams.
"Teachers have more support materials and more advice available to them and students are benefiting."
The record results were marred by suggestions that the A-level examinations are getting easier and that standards are in decline.
Commenting on the results, Sinn Féin Assembly member Mr Gerry McHugh said the claims were "disheartening".
"This is a time when students and teachers would be expected to enjoy our gratitude but instead hear their achievements diminished by allegations of easier exams and declining standards," he added.
University of Ulster vice-chancellor Mr Gerry McKenna also rejected the claims.
"A-level standards are not declining. Pupils and their teachers are working harder and a much larger range of resources is available to feed into the curriculum," he said.
"Also the curriculum is more relevant than it has ever been and we should be celebrating the success of our young people and their teachers instead of complaining."