Top marks for students picking up A-Level results

A-LEVEL results were causing tears of joy and sorrow for students across the Saffron Walden Reporter's area this morning.

Head girl at Newport Free Grammar School, Abbie Chapman, was celebrating after receiving an A in English literature, an A in Geography and a B in French.

"I'm really happy because I got the results I was expecting," she said. "I already knew that I had got into Southampton University to study geography because I had checked with UCAS this morning, but I didn't know my results.

"Most of my friends seem to be happy with what they've got and there's a lot of support from the school for those who haven't done as well as they hoped."

Abbie's mother, who had come to see her daughter pick up her results, said: "We're all incredibly proud of her - she's going to change the world one day!"

Happy student Arthur Toynton received four As in chemistry, maths, physics and politics. He said he had been very nervous about picking up his results and was looking forward to studying chemistry at Durham University.

Friends' School in Saffron Walden's was celebrating another excellent year of results.

For the fifth year in a row students achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with 34.5 per cent achieving A grades. Almost 70 per cent of students scored A or B grades and 88 per cent had A to C grades.

Headteacher Graham Wigley said: "The headline figures are all improvements on last year's impressive results and rival the school's best ever results from 2007.

"Once again our students did themselves and their teachers proud, with excellent grades across all subjects. It was a pleasure to receive results like this knowing what each set of grades means for each individual student.

"I'm delighted that they are able to move on to the universities of their choice, particularly this year which, as the press have highlighted, is particularly competitive."

More results from schools in the area will be added later.